Whispers In Your Heart
by KittiKat626
Summary: [IchiRuki]Ichigo is forced to make Rukia and his son, Michio, believe he and Raye are dead. Now, on Earth with his daughter, he despertaly wants to find a way back. But can he do it before Rukia falls in love with another man? Shadows In The Night SEQUEL!
1. To Move On

This is the SEQUEL to **Shadows In The Night**. PLEASE read that one first, or this will make no sense!

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**Story Title: **Whispers in the Heart  
**Rating: **T  
**Genres: **Romance/Drama/Angst/Adventure  
**Pairings: **Mainly Ichigo/Rukia - There will be a few more, though.  
**AU?: **Yes/No - Takes place in the Bleach world. AU timeline.  
**Summary: **He's dead. She know it - or does she? Ichigo is forced to make Rukia believe that he and Raye, Michio's twin, are dead. As Rukia tries to move past this as the years go on, Ichigo tries to find a way to come back to her. Can he do it before she falls in love with another man?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or the characters.Thanks to** CrystalRaindrop007** for Beta'ing!

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_"Nuh uh. My sissy is itty bitty! I gets to protect her!"_

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**Whispers in Your Heart — I**

**_June 3rd - 2007 - Three Years Later_**

_"What did you say?" Ichigo asked numbly, gripping the hand of his small daughter tighter; she was restless, bouncing around, wanting to get home. He looked at the three captains standing in front of him. Captain Yamamoto, Captain Kuchiki, and Captain Unohana. And they were all there for one reason, and one reason only. The reason his face was pale and his hands were shaking as he reached down to pick up his restless daughter._

_"I'm sorry, but this is the way it must be, Captain Kurosaki."_

_"But ... why?" he asked, trying not to yell; it always upset Raye, Michio's twin. _

_"We have our reasons, and those reasons will be revealed in time."_

_Once Captain Yamamoto had finished speaking, Unohana took over for him._

_"I'm sorry, Ichigo. But they are too strong. I first noticed it a few months ago ... whenever Raye and Michio are together, their power is more than anything I've seen. Even yours or Captain Kenpachi's. But when they are apart, it is so low that we can barely detect it. I never thought of it before, but the twins have a connection, a very deep one. We know that they have even managed to talk to each other in their minds, right?" Ichigo nodded and she continued. "There are people looking for them. People who want power. Aizen Sosuke, too; he yearns for power, and he will do anything to get it. He'll kill Rukia, Ichigo, both you and I know it."_

_"I'll protect her!" Ichigo yelled, forgetting to keep his voice down as he ran his hands over Raye's soft, Black and orange hair. She whimpered slightly as his voice rose._

_"You can't, Kurosaki," Byakuya said. "You're gone on missions for days, even weeks at a time. You can't protect her, or the children."_

_"I can ... "_

_"You can't."_

_"Why ... why dead? Do you have any idea what that will do to Rukia? Any idea?" Ichigo asked. "Not only me, but Raye, too? God, Rukia loves the twins so much ... that would break her," he said, gripping tighter to Raye. All three of the captains in the room were trying to keep the emotion off of her face, but all three knew exactly how it would hurt Rukia. In the worst way possible._

_"I said there are reasons. I cannot tell them to you them now, but this must happen. Rukia must believe that you and Raye are dead."_

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**_July 11th - 2009_**

"Mommy? Who's that?"

Rukia smiled as she sat Michio, who was now almost five, on her lap and showed him the photo album she had put together for him.

"That's your sister."

"Nuh uh. My sissy is itty bitty! I gets to protect her!" he said happily, pointing over to the crib in which his one and a half-year-old sister slept. Her black hair was spread out beneath her face and her tiny hands curled and uncurled in her sleep. Rukia ruffled Michio's hair, smiling sadly_. He was so much like Ichigo_.

"Yes, but you have another sister to protect, too."

"I do?"

Michio's violet eyes were bright and wide in the way only a small child could manage. Rukia nodded.

"Yes, you do."

"Where is she?" Michio asked, looking around the room for any signs of a second sister.

"She's gone, like daddy."

"But she'll come back, right? Like daddy will?"

Rukia tried to force back tears.

He didn' know. Michio didn't know his father, and his twin sister, were dead. She hadn't told him, because, one day, maybe they could come back. But he needed to know, just not now. He was only four, just a baby, really. But he was so much like his father. When Anyame Hisana, named after both her own sister and Rukia's sister, was born, he had announced happily, "I wants to protect her and you, mommy!"

At that time, he had just gotten out of diapers and she still had to baby proof the house or he would eat spoons.

"Yeah, baby. She'll come back."

"What's her name?" Michio asked, bouncing up and down in Rukia's lap, turning the page in the photo album with his tiny fingers. His eyes lit up when he saw the next picture. "It's daddy!"

Rukia was glad that Michio was turned away from her, because she could no longer hold back her tears when she saw how happy Michio was to see his father, even if it was just a picture. She said, trying to keep her voice under control, "Her name was Raye Anyame."

"That's ma other sissy's name!" he said, poking a picture of all four of them together; Raye and Michio were being held by Rukia and Ichigo, and were about a year old. "There she is again! I wike her!"

"I liked her, too. I loved her, and your daddy did, too."

"I wants to see her," he said, looking up at Rukia. "Mommy, why are you crying?" he asked, worried, as he stood up on the bed, his bare feet sinking in the blankets as he reached up to hug Rukia. "I don't want mommy to cry."

Rukia hugged him back, wiping her tears away. Michio held onto her for the longest time before he pulled back and placed a wet, slobbery kiss on her cheek.

"I love you, mommy."

"I love you, too, baby. But ... bedtime!"

Michio groaned loudly and dropped back onto her bed, bouncing a few times before he landed flat and pretended to die. Rukia scooped him up in her arms and carried him over to his bed on the other side of the room. Once he was tucked in, he 'came back to life' and kissed Rukia again before saying, "Read me a story!"

"No, no story tonight. I'll let you stay up for a while and look at pictures if you want, though," Rukia said, handing him the photo album with a smile. He snuggled under his blanket in his doggy pajamas and opened the photo album, smiling every time he saw Raye. Rukia watched him, and soon, his small, violet eyes began drooping with sleep. After his breathing had slowed and his eyes fell all the way closed, Rukia kissed him on the head and carefully took the album from his hands.

She placed it on the bed, letting her fingers run over the picture of them all. Ichigo was holding Raye, and the longer she looked at it, the more she believed they would come walking through the door any day.

_What would she look like_?

What would Raye be like? Would she be like her brother? Happy and bouncy, or more of a girl? Would she draw bunnies or dogs? Would she like ketchup or mustard? Would she like pink or purple? If she was alive, would her shoes be bigger than the tiny pair Rukia had saved from when she was one and a half? Would she love her baby sister or be jealous?

Would Ichigo love Anyame?

She would never know.

Backing away from the photo album, Rukia wiped her tears away and leaned over the crib of the tiny baby. Anyame was nearing two years, yet she was small. Michio was small, too. Would Raye be small?

If Ichigo and Raye were alive ... she would be living with them, even if it was here in Soul Society. Even though Ichigo was promoted to Captain and asked to fight in the war, he still came home every day. She had believed he always would ... but one day, even though it was just to visit his family, he had never come back. She and Michio hadn't gone because they were both sick. Michio had the flu, and Ichigo believed that was what Rukia had, too.

But he was wrong ... and he had never known. If she had told him ... if she had told him she was pregnant again, would he have stayed home? Would he still be alive? Would he have been able to been called dada ... instead of the man that was in Anyame's life?

Dada had been Anyame's first word. And it had been said to a man that was not her father. Now, though, she called that man Unk Unk, or, in English, Uncle. But before ... she had called Renji, her childhood friend and the man that had given her and the children a home when Ichigo had passed away, dada. Renji had been shocked, and he hadn't reacted. Rukia, however, had run from the room, crying. She had refused to look at Anyame for a while, but then ...

_"Rukia, let me come in. Anyame wants you, she's crying."_

_"Renji ... leave me alone," Rukia said, wiping tears away as she stared at Ichigo's photograph. Renji, however, ignored her and opened the door. He walked in and sat down on the bed next to her, reaching over and gently taking the photo from her. She looked up fast and tried to reach for it again, but he held it out of reach._

_"Hold her," he said, motioning to Anyame. Once the baby was in Rukia's arms, he turned to her and said, "Now, Anyame, who am I?"_

_Anyame bounced in Rukia's arms happily. Rukia bit her lip, trying to hold back tears. Although Renji was the closest thing Anyame had to a father, he would never replace Ichigo. Never. But what Anyame said surprised her._

_"Unk Unk!"_

_Renji smiled at the shocked look on Rukia's face._

_"While I was on Earth, I saw a lot of little girls calling men that were close to them Uncle. So ... I tried it out. Sorry ... sorry about earlier," he said, reaching out to brush back Anyame's soft black hair. Rukia shook her head._

_"No, I'm sorry ... I was being stupid, Renji. I ... I guess I need to move on, but I can't."_

_Rukia was crying again. Renji reached over and placed his hand on her face, gently running his thumb over her skin._

_"No, don't be like that, Rukia. You loved him. It'll take a while for you to heal."_

_"I'm sorry, Renji. You gave me a home, you helped me with Anyame when she was born ... you gave her her name, but all I've given you is trouble. I've put two kids into your home and haven't given you anything. I'm sorry."_

_"Hey, I happen to be fond of Michio. He reminds me of Ichigo. He's a little monster. And Anyame, well ... she's like a daughter to me. I know I can't replace Ichigo, ever, but let me into your lives. Let me help heal your heart."_

_Renji reached down and gently kissed Rukia on the lips. She responded for a second before pulling back and looking away._

_"No, I can't, Renji. I'm sorry."_

_Just then, Michio, who was only two and a half, ran inside the room and jumped up onto Renji's lap._

_"Hey, Uncle Renji, lookie what I drew! It's me and Anyame and mommy and daddy and you!"_

_Renji smiled and as he saw the look of pain on Rukia's face as she stared at the crude drawing of Ichigo, he knew he would never be able to be that important to Rukia. She could never love him._

_"I ... I have to go. See ya later, squirt," he said, ruffling Michio's hair._

_"Bye bye Uncle Renji!"_

_Rukia smiled sadly as she watched Michio wave happily to Renji. _

_He had given so much, but in return, she wasn't able to give Renji anything._

It was true. That was only year ago, but still ... the memory was still clear in her mind. Renji had taken her in, given her a home, was by her side ... everything, when Ichigo had died. At the funeral, when Michio had cried frantically for Ichigo, trying to reach out to the casket that was being lowered into the ground, Renji had been the one to pick him up and comfort him. He was the one to help her through pregnancy, and he was the one who had named her and Ichigo's baby.

Not Ichigo.

Never Ichigo.

He was gone.

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Should I continue? Should I go hide before people kill me? Neither? Both? What did you think? Good, bad, ugly? Too many questions? Gooood! And there **ARE** reasons for this whole, huge plot! I will tell ya soon! I will slowly unfold things, so please don't get on me about the million+ questions I have unanswered.

**_Please Review!_**


	2. Just Like Mommy

_**IMPORTANT NOTICE:  
**As you may or may have not noticed, I am putting flashbacks in the beginning of each chapter. It is VERY important that you watch the dates put on the flashbacks, because right now, I am flashing back to the part where Ichigo leaves, but soon, I will be flashing further back than this to show the plot and how Ichigo and Rukia got into SS with the kids without SS killing them all._

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or the characters.Thanks to** CrystalRaindrop007** for Beta'ing!

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_"I'll make mommy proud of me, daddy."_

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**Whispers In Your Heart − II**

**_June 7th - 2007, 3:44 AM_**

_He was only going for them. They were in danger. If he and Raye stayed, Michio and Rukia could be, no ..._ would be_, killed. He had to go._

_"Renji ... will you do something for me?" Ichigo asked, smiling sadly at Raye as he pulled her coat on. Raye whimpered, her eyes closing as she sleepily shuffled around in Ichigo's arms. Renji nodded._

_"Yeah man, anything. Just glad you let me in on all this."_

_"Take care of Rukia and Michio. Please? Take care of them for me."_

_Renji nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets. _

_"Sure. I'll make sure they're fine."_

_"Thanks, Renji. You have no idea how much it means to me to know they'll be alright," he said, hugging Raye to his chest. She didn't much like this and began crying. Others were watching, waiting. Byakuya and Unohana were there, and Isane and Yoruichi and Urahara. They were waiting for him to leave to the human world._

_"Kurosaki," Byakuya said, walking up. "Rukia doesn't know what's going on does she?" he asked._

_Ichigo shook his head. "She might suspect something, though I doubt it. I ... I wanted to say goodbye to Michio. I was alone, but ... when I sad goodbye to her, I think she thought something was going on. But I'm sure she doesn't know. She wanted to tell me something before I left, though. Will ya find out what it was?"_

_Byakuya nodded and reached out to gently rub his hand over Raye's soft hair. Despite trying not to, he loved his niece and nephew, and he would probably never see Raye again after this._

_"Tell Rukia I love her, alright?" Ichigo said, taking in a deep breath to try and control his emotions. "Michio, too. And ... here, give this to Michio when he's a little older. And ... if I ever die, give this to Rukia. Please ... please don't read it."_

_He handed Byakuya a small box, for Michio, and a letter put in an envelope and tied with a beautiful, silk ribbon. Byakuya fingered it for a second before nodding. He said,_

_"Kurosaki, I might not have always liked you, actually for a while, I hated you, but you were good to my sister and made her very happy. And you gave her Michio and Raye ... and I'm sorry that you're leaving. If we were never friends, you were at least there for my sister when I wasn't. Thank you, and if we ever meet again in the future, we could try and be the brother-in-laws we never were."_

_Ichigo smiled. "Yeah. Guess so, huh?"_

_Byakuya stood back and Renji walked forward. Ichigo stuck out his hand to shake Renji's, but the red-head pulled him into a hug. It was the first time someone male, besides his father, had hugged him, but Ichigo found it felt strangely ... right. It was the last time he was gonna see any of them._

_"Well ... see ya later," Ichigo said, waving as he began to walk through the gate. Before he completely passed through, he whispered, "See you soon, Rukia. I know I will, because nothing in this world, or in any other, can keep me from you."_

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**_July 12th - 2009_**

"Daddy, do I _have_ to go to school?" four-year-old Raye Kurosaki whined, kicking her legs back and forth as Ichigo tried to put her light pink shoes on her small feet. He smirked and caught one foot and held it still enough to shove the shoe on and tie it. Now, just to get the second one ...

"Yeah, ya have to go to school."

"Why?" Raye said, sticking out her bottom lip. Once Ichigo got her other shoe on, he picked her off the counter.

"Because you need to grow up really smart like daddy."

Raye laughed and stuck her tongue out of a large hole in between the teeth she was missing. Ichigo stuck his tongue out at her, too, and began walking outside. Once she was on the sidewalk, she began skipping along, and Ichigo had to run to catch up with her. When he had, though, he took her hand, limiting her bouncing.

She had grown a lot. Since the day that he had disappeared with her, she had grown so much, though she was still short. But he saw Rukia in her. Her hair, though it was still orange with black stripes, it was now longer; he had tied it up in pigtails with the ribbons that Rukia had made for Raye for her first birthday. They were bright red and matched the jumper she was wearing. Her eyes were still ice blue, but now they seemed to have a ring of violet around them. She acted like Rukia, too. She loved bunnies, had one as a pet, loved to draw, badly - although he told her they were great, especially when she drew the ones of him, her and Rukia. She loved to laugh and smile and her attitude was a perfect match of Rukia's.

But she didn't remember Michio. At all. He had never showed her pictures, though; only told her stories about a brave little boy that she, Raye, had once saved the life of.

Raye snapped Ichigo out of her thoughts by suddenly hiding behind him and saying in a small voice,

"Daddy, I'm scared."

They had arrived at the pre-school that Raye was going to go to; it was her first day. When he kneeled down beside her, she was nearly crying. He hugged her gently as he said,

"Can you be a brave girl for daddy?" he asked softly, reaching down to pick a flower out of the ground. "Can you take this to school with you -" He handed her the orange daisy "- and bring it back to me when you get out? If you can do that, and have fun, then I'll take you out to dinner tonight."

Raye nodded slowly as she wrapped her tiny, slim fingers around the flower.

"OK, daddy. But I'm still scared."

"Don't be, sweetie. It'll be fine."

"Promise?" she asked, her wide eyes moving up to meet his.

"Promise," he said, kissing her on the forehead. She smiled at him and took his hand again. Once she was in the school yard, she tugged at his hand, wanting to go play on the swing. He smiled as he watched her go.

Rukia would have wanted to be here. For her little girl's first day of school. She would have wanted to be with him as he reassured Raye it would be fine. Rukia had been there for her first word, Mama, first steps, and first smile ... but not for her first lost tooth, her first scratched knee, learning to ride a tricycle, her first real Christmas, and her first day of school. Rukia had missed so much of her baby girl's life. It wasn't fair. But he knew she was fine. Because he had asked Renji to take care of Rukia, and if there was one thing he knew, it was that Renji loved Rukia; he would take good care of her and give Michio a good life.

"Daddy?" Raye asked, pulling on his arm. He smiled as he looked down at her. "I wanna go inside. I scared of the mean boy."

Ichigo smiled and nodded, picking her up under the arms and setting her small form on his shoulders. She squealed happily and grabbed onto his hair, grinning as he walked her inside. When he walked up to the desk and the woman behind it asked for Raye's name, she said proudly,

"I'm Raye Anyame Kurosaki. R-a-y-e A-n-y-a-m-e K-u-r-o-s-a-k-i!" She smirked as she spelled it slowly. The woman smiled at her.

"Well, hello, Raye. You're a smart one."

Ichigo smiled up at Raye and poked her in the foot. Raye then used said foot to kick Ichigo softly.

"She gets it from her mommy, dontcha, Raye?"

"Uh huh!" she said. "Lemme down, daddy!"

Ichigo let her down and she began to run in circles while he filled out all the paperwork. He glanced back her every few seconds, then asked the lady, "Will you keep an eye on her? She likes to get in trouble."

The woman nodded, and as soon as Ichigo was done with the paperwork, he walked over to Raye and kneeled down beside her.

"I have to go, sweetie. I'll be back later, though."

Raye nodded, her bottom lip trembling as Ichigo hugged her.

"Come on, it'll be alright. Mommy's watching, OK?"

Raye nodded and immediately perked up a little.

"I'll make mommy proud of me, daddy."

"Right. Bye bye now," Ichigo said, kissing her forehead. She bounced off, sending him a sad look before following the other kids when they all ran into the story room. She would be OK, she always was. No matter what it was, whether a doctors appointment, dentist or first day of school, she would make it. Because she was strong like mommy.

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"OK, I promised that I would take you out to dinner ... so where do you want to go?" Ichigo asked. Raye lifted her arms as Ichigo buckled her into her booster seat. Once she was buckled tight, he jumped into the front seat of the mini-van and began driving away from the pre-school.

"Micky Dee's!" she yelled, bouncing up and down. Ichigo looked at her in the mirror.

"MacDonald's for _dinner_?"

"Uh huh!"

She giggled and kicked her feet into the back of Ichigo's seat. He smirked and said, "Well ... I said I'd take you if you were a good girl, so Micky Dee's it is."

"Yay!"

Ichigo turned the radio on to Raye's favorite children's station and she sang to several of the songs she knew well. When they arrived at the MacDonald's, he unhooked her from the booster seat and put her on his shoulders as he walked inside. She smiled happily, and when he went to stand in line, several of the other parents who were making their children stand still gave him weird looks.

"Daddy, I wants nuggets," Raye said. Ichigo nodded, and once he had ordered her nuggets and his burger, he sat her down and gave her some ketchup to make a mess with. She never ate it.

"Daddy, why did mommy go away?"

Ichigo smiled sadly.

"Mommy didn't leave, baby, daddy did. And only because he had to. He had to take you with him, too, to keep mommy safe."

"Oh. Daddy, why did all the other kids that came today come with mommies and not daddies?"

"Dunno, sweetie. Maybe the daddies were at work."

"Daddy, I wanna see mommy."

"I know, I know. And we will someday. And you can see Michio, too."

"I wants to see a picture," Raye said, sticking a nugget in her mouth and thoughtfully chewing on it. Ichigo nodded and shuffled around in his wallet. He smiled at the picture. It was one of him, Michio, Raye and Rukia. He handed it to Raye and she said, though a mouthful of nugget, "That me as a baby!"

"Yeah. And the other baby is Michio."

"My brother, right?" she asked, putting the picture down beside her. Ichigo nodded and she was silent throughout the rest of the meal. Said silence, however, went out the window when they got into the car.

"I met lotsa people! There was one mean boy, but then there was a nice boy; his name was Kane. Then there was a girl I met and she said she's be ma friend. Her name is Anjuia. And another girl ... "

Ichigo listened as much as he could. He liked hearing Raye's voice, really, but he really needed to concentrate on the road.

"And then ma teacher gave me juice like the ones I get at home!" she said happily, kicking her feet back and forth in the booster seat. "Daddy, can I play with Cookies when I get home?"

"Have you fed him?"

"Course I have! I always feed ma bunny," she said, smiling. "And I wost a tooth!"

"When?" Ichigo asked, turning to look at her for a second.

"Class. I saved it, like you ask me to."

Ichigo nodded. He liked to save Raye's teeth. She had lost three so far, which was weird for a child so young, but he wanted to save them for Rukia to see. He remembered what his dad was like when he had missed Yuzu's first lost tooth. The least he could do for Rukia was save the tooth. Besides, it made Raye believe there actually was a tooth fairy.

"And after I lost my tooth ..."

Ichigo turned into the driveway and parked. Raye forgot all about telling him about her day in favor of her bunny. Once they were inside, Ichigo made sure both Raye and Cookies were happy then went to do the laundry. That was when the phone rang. It was Keigo.

"Hey, man! Come on over tonight!" he said, his voice hurting Ichigo's ear.

"Nah. Tonight is the night me and Raye watch a movie together."

"C'mon, Ichigo, live a little! You're always doing something with the girl. Come on over," Keigo begged. Ichigo could just picture the tear tracks floating down his face.

"Nuh uh. Staying home with Raye. I don't want to watch porn with you and drink myself dead," Ichigo said, sighing.

"That's right. You've never seen a woman naked since Kuchiki-san, have you?" he asked, a slight sarcastic edge to his voice. But it was true; Ichigo hadn't even so much as glanced in a woman that way since Rukia. He _was_ going back to her, and he wouldn't do anything with another woman. Ever.

"Shut up, Keigo. I have to do laundry."

And with that, Ichigo hung up the phone and continued folding the small jumpers and socks of Raye's. He smiled, fingering them. She was now wearing a child's size, not a babies anymore.

She was growing, and Rukia was missing it all. When Ichigo went into the kitchen to shuffle through the mail, he accidentally knocked over the small jar that held locks of Raye's hair from her first haircut. As he fingered the small soft hairs, he sighed deeply. He took the jar in his hand and gently ran his fingers over it. _God, why couldn't Rukia be here? He wanted to see her ... he wanted to see their son. He wanted to be a family._

Gritting his teeth together, Ichigo balled his hands into fists and threw the jar against the wall. As he stared at the broken pieces, he slid down to the ground and put his head in his hands.

_Why?_

He would find a way. He would; he had to. He wanted Raye to have a mother and her brother, and he wanted to be a husband to Rukia and a father to Michio, too, not just Raye.

Just then, the little girl in question came in and gasped when she saw Ichigo. She walked over, Cookie in her arms, and sat down beside him.

"Daddy, are you sad again because of mommy?"

Ichigo didn't speak. Raye always knew when he was thinking of Rukia. She put her bunny in his lap and Ichigo smiled sadly at it. Years before, he had refused to get Rukia a bunny when she had asked for one. If ... _no_, when he saw her again, he would give her a bunny. He would give her a tiny, fluffy, baby bunny; like the one she had wanted.

"Yeah, baby. I'm sad about mommy. It hurts."

"Can I kiss it better?" Raye asked, reaching over to pet Cookies.

"No, it's not that kind of hurt. But you can give daddy a hug and help him do the dishes from this morning."

"OK!"

Raye hugged Ichigo and he stood up while she was still in his arms and carried her over to the sink.

Yeah. He would see Rukia again. He was sure about that.

He had to.

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Well, that's all for now. I updated sooner than I thought I would ... see that's what reviews do.

**_Please Review!_**


	3. Forgive Me

The story started out with a flashback to where both Michio and Raye were two-years-old; they are in the SS with Ichigo and Rukia, and I have not yet told you how they got there. In the beginning (Not flashback) of chapter one, Michio is about four and three months. Rukia was three weeks pregnant with Anyame when Ichigo left, and was pregnant with her for eight and a half months total. Anyame is now one-and-a-half, so all in all, four years were skipped from the beginning of this story from the ending of the last one.

In the beginning (Flashback) of this chapter, Michio is two and a half! ( The twins birthday is December 21st )

Hope that clears stuff up!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or the characters.Thanks to** CrystalRaindrop007** for Beta'ing!

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_If ... if a child can believe that strongly, why can't I, Renji? Why can't I believe in Ichigo?"_

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Whispers In Your Heart — III

**_June 8th - 2007 - 4:26 PM_**

_Rukia heard a light knock on the door and smiled, walking over to it. It had to be Ichigo; he was supposed to be home hours ago. He probably wanted to spend extra time with his family, though, so she wouldn't get mad. But she wanted help with Michio. He was sick, but not nearly sick enough to hold him still for even two minutes. He was jumping around and hopping in only a diaper and a light blue, soft sweater - she was trying to potty train him, and at two and a half, he should have been ... but everyone had always told her that boys were harder. He was currently toddling around, laughing, and his cheeks were bright pink when she opened the door._

_"Ic -"_

_She stopped, however, when she saw who it was. She put her dishtowel down and smiled._

_"Byakuya-nii-sama, Renji, what are you doing here?"_

_"Dada?" Michio questioned, coming into the room, his tiny blanket traveling behind him. He nearly fell over a couple times, his small, toddling feet not quite used to him running yet. "No dada?" he asked, turning to Rukia. She shook her head._

_"No, dada isn't back yet."_

_She failed to see the look on Renji's face when she told Michio this._

_"Dada ..." Michio said sadly, dropping down onto his diapred butt and pouting. Rukia smiled and reached down to pick him up, handing him his juice; it was in a bottle and had his medication, which he refused to take, in it._

_"Come on in, Nii-sama, Renji."_

_They followed her into the living room, where she moved a few toys off of the couch before sitting down. Michio wiggled out of her grasp and ran across the room, laughing, before he grabbed a piece of paper and ran back over, climbing back onto Rukia's lap and settling there with his crayon and paper._

_"What are you here for? You don't usually vists unless Ichigo is home," she said, patting Michio's head of soft hair. He smiled up at her, coughing, before he turned back to his picture._

_"We came to deliver some news," Byakuya said. Renji wasn't speaking as he watched Michio._

_What were they doing? Oh, yeah. They were about to tell Rukia that Ichigo was dead, which he wasn't. He was alive ... yet this news would scar Rukia for life, and he was about to lie, to hurt her ..._

_"Dada!" Michio said, holding up his picture. Rukia nodded, not paying much attention to the scribble that the baby had put together. He ignored her and went back to drawing._

_"What news?" she asked._

_"There was an accident."_

_"Where ... on Earth?" Fear was beginning to show._

_Byakuya nodded. Rukia's eyes filled with worry._

_"Ichigo ... is Ichigo OK? What about ... God, what about Raye?" she asked, her eyes filling with tears when neither Renji or Byakuya answered. "Tell me!" she yelled despertely. _

_Renji put his head in his hands. He couldn't bare to watch this. God, what was he doing? He was about to lie to his best friend, telling her that the man she loved more than the world was dead._

_"Tell me, please!"_

_"Both Ichigo and Raye are dead," Byakuya said._

_Rukia looked shocked for a moment before the tears started to flow down her face. Her whole body was shaking as she spoke. "No, no, no ... it can't be ... Ichigo promised me he'd come back ... he promised ... He'd be alive. It can't be true, not Ichigo and Raye ... please tell me it's not true!"_

_Michio began crying, too, though he didn't realize why he was crying. He cried whenever Rukia did. Rukia hugged him tightly to her. _

_"No, they -they can't be gone. Not Ichigo ... not my baby ... "_

_Renji couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and turned around, biting back his own tears. Byakuya remained impartial as he spoke._

_"I'm sorry, Rukia."_

_"But ... but they're in Soul Society, right?" she asked, holding Michio tighter as he began to wail loudly. His small, hard sobs broke through everyone's ears._

_"Ichigo was a Shinigami; he will be reincarnated into the real world. And Raye was born of two Shinigami, she, too, will reutrn to the real world."_

_"I didn't get to tell him, or her ... I haven't told anyone, but - God, they cant be gone, no ... "_

_Rukia was crying harder than he had ever seen. Her tears were flowing fast and her hands were shaking as she held her baby boy in her arms. Renji wanted to hit something as he watched mother and son cry for a man and a baby that they had lost. Ichigo had been right; it was tearing Rukia apart. The baby she had fought for so hard ... the man whon had cared for her and loved her through everything ... and ..._

_"I wanted to tell him I'm pregnant again."_

_God. _

_Another baby to grow up without a father._

_What had they done?_

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**_July 13, 2009_**

Michio closed his eyes and sighed, pulling his blanket over his head. His mommy was crying again. She always did whenever he mentioned his daddy. Why? He knew she loved his daddy, Ichigo was his name, but every time he mentioned daddy, his mommy would get a sad look in her eyes, and he would hear cry eventually. He didn't mean to; he didn't _want _his mommy to cry ... but ... daddy, why wouldn't he come back?

Wiping his own tears away, Michio tried to sleep, and soon, his eyes were slipping closed and his breathing was slowing. He clasped in his hand tightly the picture of his sister.

He wanted to see her ...

He wanted to talk to her ...

He wanted to ask her what their dad was like ... because maybe, wherever she was he was, too.

He wanted to protect his baby sister, and his other sister, too ...

Then, he fell asleep. His dream was weird. He was standing in a completely white room. The walls were white, the ceiling was white, and so were the floors. It didn't even look like a room; it never ended. Turning around in a circle, he began looking for a way out.

"Mommy?" he asked quietly. Then, when he began running, but got nowhere, he began to cry. "Mommy!"

But no one heard him. He was alone. He clenched his fists and his eyes closed, trying to get out of this dream. But nothing happened. Then, he heard another voice. It was a quiet, small, scared voice.

"Daddy?"

He turned around fast, surprised to see another little girl there. She ... she was ...

"Raye!" he yelled, beginning to run over to her. She turned around, but she apparently didn't notice him. He stopped only a few inches from her, waving his hand in front of her face. She still didn't notice. And she was crying.

"Daddy! Daddy!"

He frowned, reaching out to touch her. He gasped when his hand seemed to go straight through her. That made his eyes go wide, and he blinked several times before stepping back and scratching his head. Huh. She didn't seem to notice him, but it surely was Raye; he knew it. Even though she looked older, she was the same. Same ice blue eyes, same hair like his, and she had the same look on her face as his mommy did. Yup. This was his sister.

"Can ya hear me, Raye?" he asked again, jumping up and down in front of her. But she didn't respond, she just sat down on the ground and curled into a little ball and put her head between her knees. "Why can I see her, then?" he asked himself, dropping down beside her. "Hey, Sissy! Guess what? Mommy misses you."

For some reason, she seemed to notice him for a split second. She turned to face him, surprise in her gaze, but then turned back around, as if she was looking for something. Michio scrunched his face up in thought, then snapped his fingers.

"Raye, do you know who mommy is?"

"Mommy?" the little girl whispered. "My ... mommy?"

She still couldn't see him, he knew, but she could hear him for some reason.

"Yeah, our mommy. I'm Michio, you're big brother!"

"By three minutes," Raye said, frowning, though not sure where to direct her frown. Michio laughed. It was actually five minutes, but he didn't expect her to know that. She had left with daddy, his mommy had said, and, also according to mommy, daddy was a little dense, though she loved him anyway. Raye spoke, "Where are you, Michio? Where is mommy? I want to see mommy."

She was crying again, but this time it was out of longing to see a mother who she had been pulled away from at such a young age.

"Mommy ... isn't here now. But can you see me?"

"No."

Duh.

"Can you hear me?"

"Yes."

Duh, again.

"Where _are_ we?" Michio asked, standing to his feet and jumping up and down again. His feet sounded like they were hitting onto something, but he couldn't tell where any walls or anything was. It was all white, nothing else. "And what is daddy like? You are with him, right?"

"I love daddy," Raye said simply, standing up, too. "Where are you standing?"

"Right in front of you, Raye," Michio said, rolling his eyes. Raye turned around and kicked out with her small, bunny pajama covered foot. It made contact with his own sky blue pajamas, and he began to hop around in circles. Yup. Raye was like mommy. She kicked hard. But mommy had never kicked him; only Uncle Renji and a few other guys. But they knew it hurt, so he did, too.

"Whatcha kick me for?"

"I just wanted to make sure I wasn't hearing voices. Besides, you needed kicked."

She stuck her tongue out at him and ran away, giggling. Michio frowned as he followed her. He could surprise her; she couldn't see him. But before he could see her again, she suddenly disappeared. He stopped in his tracks, then he could feel himself leaving, too.

Then, he was back at home, sitting up in his bed and breathing hard.

Raye ...

He jumped out of his bed and ran over to his school supplies. He didn't know why ... it was like his body was moving itself. He quickly took out some paper and pencils and began to draw.

* * *

Rukia rubbed her eyes tiredly as she walked back into her bedroom. But instead of seeing the light off and both children sleeping quietly, when she walked in, the room was flooded with light and Michio was on the floor, his face drawn in concentration as he worked on a picture. Anyame, who had been sleeping on Rukia's bed, was sitting down beside Michio, sucking her fingers and kicking her pink, pajama clad feet back and forth, each making contact with the ground in rythym. When she saw Rukia, she climbed to her baby feet and toddled over.

"Mama!"

Rukia picked her up and walked over to Michio, leaning down beside him.

"It's bedtime, baby, no more drawin-"

But she cut herself off. Instead of his usual stick-men and bunnies, he was drawing Raye. She knew it was Raye, it had to be. Her hair was penciled in perfectly, and Rukia could never forget her eyes. But not just that ... the drawing was one of an artist, someone who had been practicing for many, many years, and Michio was drawing it effortlessly. When she tried to get his attention, he paid no attention to her.

Scared, Rukia ran out of the room and grabbed Renji by the arm, taking him in and showing him what Michio was doing.

"Good ... God, is he really drawing that?" Renji asked, his eyes wide as Michio began to draw Raye's jean skirt.

"Yes ... Renji, what is going on?"

"I don't know. Hey, buddy, whatcha drawing?" Renji asked quietly, reaching out to cover Michio's hand with his. The little boy shrugged it of and continued drawing like he had never noticed Renji. His hand moved fast, and his eyes swept over the picture rapidly. Rukia clutched Renji's arm as she watched Michio. When he was finished, he clutched the picture in his hands and turned to face them.

"Raye."

It was all he said, and when Rukia stared at the picture, she gasped.

"But she's ... she was so young ... she's different."

It was true. Raye's blue eyes now had, in the picture, a violet ring around them. Her hair was longer and put up in pig-tails, and there were three missing teeth in the front of her smile. On her chin, she had a tiny scar stretching about half an inch. Her clothes were a bright red sweater and a jean skirt, and on her thin legs she wore white panty-hose. Her feet were in pink tennis shoes and her hair was tied up with the ribbons that Rukia had made her.

"God ... that's Raye," she said, wiping away a tear.

"I saw her, mommy," Michio said. "In ma dream. I saw her and she talked to me. She wants to see you!"

* * *

"Raye, what are you doing up this late?" Ichigo asked sleepily, walking into Raye's room and flipping on the light. She didn't seem to notice him, and continued drawing the picture she had started only seconds before. He walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder as he stared into the sketch. It was beautiful. Ichigo's mouth fell open; surely she couldn't draw like that! She was a worse artist than Rukia even ... there was no way she could be drawing what he was seeing.

But as her hand flew over the page, adding detail after detail, his eyes grew wider and wider.

It was Michio.

He looked different, older, but it was him.

"Raye ..."

She still didn't answer. Not until she was done. She held it up and smiled a toothless smile.

"Michio."

"That's ... that's _Michio_?" Ichigo asked, running his fingers over the small face.

"I saw him, daddy," Raye said. "In ma dream. I saw him and he talked to me. He wants to see you!"

* * *

Rukia, still shaking, followed Renji outside into the den once they had put Michio back to bed. She sat down on the couch and put her head in her hands.

"Raye ... but how?" she asked, looking up at Renji. He moved his eyes away from hers. "Renji, how?"

"I'm not sure, Rukia. I don't know. How could he, even if Raye were ... " Renji trailed off, not uttering the word _alive_, then said, "How would he know what she would look like?"

Rukia shook her head and Renji sat down beside her. She tiredly laid her head on his chest and sighed, closing her eyes for a second before saying,

"Thanks, Renji. Thanks for being there for us."

"You're welcome, Rukia," he said, brushing her hair back gently. She smiled, her eyes still closed and reached up, gently kissing him on the lips. He was surprised, to say the least, but when Rukia reached up to place her palm on his cheek, he wrapped his arms around her neck and deepened the kiss, cursing himself as he pulled back and said,

"You sure?"

Rukia nodded and it was all the encouragement he needed to push his tongue past her lips. She buried her hands in his hair as he pushed her gently back on the couch, propping himself above her as he began to kiss her neck. She arched up against him as he began to nibble her ear, and he smiled. His lips found hers again as he slipped his hand under her shirt, and when he caressed the soft skin of her stomach, she broke the kiss and moaned,

"I - Ichigo ..."

Shocked, Renji broke away from her and turned away, not meeting her eyes as she realized what had slipped past her lips.

"S-sorry, Renji," she said, wrapping her arms around her stomach and biting her lip to keep her tears back.

"You can't move on, can you?" he asked softly, still not turning around.

"I-I ... what if he's alive, though?" Rukia whispered. "I know I need to move on to give Michio and Anyame a life ... but ... every time I think I can finally move on, I think: What if he's alive? What if he's waiting for me? Why can't I just believe one thing or another? Is Ichigo really gone? Is he, Renji?" Rukia asked as Renji finally turned around to face her.

" ... "

"I found out where Michio goes to everyday," Rukia said slowly; softly. "It's the play-place that Ichigo used to take him to. He would swing him around in circles, and they would both laugh under the sunset. Michio would love it when Ichigo put him on his shoulders and ran around with him. He said it made him feel like he was flying. And Ichigo ... he just loved spending time with his babies. He would smile when Michio laughed and he would make funny faces at Raye when she cried ... he loved them so much. And Michio goes out there each day, and he told me that he always prays that his daddy will come back. Do you have any idea how much belief it takes for a four-year-old, who barely even remember his own father, to keep on praying every single day that a man he doesn't know well will come back? If ... if a child can believe that strongly, why can't I, Renji? Why can't I believe in Ichigo?"

"I don't know," Renji said, turning around again to face the door.

"I know they said he was gone, but ... every night, I swear I feel him sleeping next to me. But in the morning, I feel so alone, and when I hear Michio praying at night for God to please return daddy to him ... it breaks my heart. I don't even know where he heard about God. And I want Ichigo back, too, but I need to know ... I need to know if he ever will come back. If not ... I need to move on. But if there is even the slightest chance he'll be back, I need to know ... I need to know."

Renji knew he shouldn't say a word. He couldn't; Rukia had to believe Ichigo was gone. So, he didn't. He walked over and took her into his arms as she began to cry.

"He can't come back, Rukia. Not now, nor ever."

It was the truth. He couldn't. Renji knew it. Ichigo was on Earth with Raye ... and that was where he needed to stay. If he came back, many, many people would die.

"I love you, Rukia," he said softly.

"I loved you once," Rukia began. "And I could do it again, I think. I love Ichigo more than anything in the world, but I - "

Renji cut her off by gently kissing her on the lips.

"Don't rush yourself. I've waited all my life, I can wait a little longer."

"Thank you," Rukia said, leaning her head on his chest again. "Thank you."

He smiled sadly.

Was it right not to tell her of Ichigo? Was it right to make her try and forget about the man she loved more than the world? Was it right ... to make her and her children move on? No ... it wasn't, but it was the only thing he could think of. The small family was in pain, a pain that would never go away, and if he could help ease that, even if it meant just being a friend, he would do it.

Even if he could never be that important to Rukia ... he could give her happiness. Even if he could only be a friend ... if she could never move on ... he would do it. He loved her that much, that he would give her happiness above his own.

Rukia clutched to his shirt tighter as she cried unseen tears. They weren't for herself ... they were for Ichigo.

_I'm sorry, Ichigo. I love you ... please, forgive me. But I want to give our children a home, a warm, happy home with a mother ... and a father. Since you can't be here to be their father ... will you forgive me ... please, Ichigo, if that is what I choose?_

* * *

Don't worry, I won't bash Renji more than necessary. I already had him say that he would rather give Rukia happiness than have her love him, so he is past that whole thing, so he won't be bashed too much.

I think.

**_Please Review!_**


	4. In Dreams

**_CAUTION:_** The beginning of the flashback in this one has some slight sexual content.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or the characters.Thanks to** CrystalRaindrop007** for Beta'ing!

* * *

_Michio is so cute. He hugs the picture that he drew, the one he doesn't even remember drawing, and tries to fall asleep because he claims he can see Raye in his dreams. I love him to bits._

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**Whispers In Your Heart — IV**

**_March 22nd - 2006 - 11:30 PM_**

_Rukia giggled as Ichigo gently kissed her collar bone before his lips moved back up to her mouth. When he pulled back from her, he smirked, asking, "Are the babies asleep?" _

_Rukia nodded and leaned up to kiss him again as he shed her last piece of clothing. "They fell asleep a little before you got home."_

_"Good."_

_He lowered his mouth and began kissing her shoulder as he placed his hands on her hips. She moaned gently and pressed her hands against his chest, letting her fingers run over the muscles that had built up over the years. As he began to nibble on her skin, she asked, "Shouldn't we start using protection again now that I stopped breast feeding the babies?"_

_"Don't know, right now, don't care," he said, moaning as she kissed him again. He braced himself above her and pressed his mouth tightly over hers as he slid effortlessly into her. She cried out, her scream of passion lost in his lips as he kissed her again and again._

_"I love you, Rukia," he whispered huskily._

_"Love you, too."_

_Later, they lay together in bed, Ichigo playing with Rukia's hair as he held her close. She was sleepily trying to keep her eyes open, absentmindedly running her fingers over his chest. He asked quietly,_

_"You really think we should use protection?"_

_"Hmm ... dunno. I got pregnant even when we did, so I'm not sure if it'd make a difference."_

_"Anything wrong with a lot of kids?" Ichigo asked, smiling in the dark as he felt Rukia's body move against his as she laughed silently. She shook her head, saying, "No, not really, I guess. But right now, I'm happy with Michio and Raye."_

_"Me, too. If you want, I can pick up some condoms tomorrow," he said, letting her hair drop back to her face as he kissed her nose._

_"Mmm, sure."_

_"Are we going to keep running forever?"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Running from the Soul Society. Rukia, your family is there. Don't you want to live a normal life?"_

_"I do, Ichigo. I'm am living a normal life. You work during the day while I stay with the babies and I take care of them. That's normal. Well ... except when we fight Hollows, but even those don't come around often."_

_"Yeah ... but still ..."_

_"I'm happy, Ichigo," she said, curling into him as she prepared to fall asleep. "I really am."_

**_The Next Morning ..._**

_Ichigo shuffled around in the house in his pajamas until Rukia forcefully made him dress. After changing into a pair of jeans and a sweater, he helped with breakfast and fed the kids while Rukia did dishes. They then left the babies in the living room with some toys while they cleaned up the kitchen. Ichigo was just about to go to work when he heard Michio scream. Running from the kitchen, Rukia right on his heals, he gasped when he saw who was in his living room._

_"Captain?" Rukia yelled, stepping in front of the babies as Ukitake smiled._

_"Sorry for dropping in like this. Orders, you know."_

_"What the hell are you doing here," Ichigo asked, stepping in front of Rukia, who gripped onto his shirt when she saw who was with him. It was __Kurotsuchi_. _The scientist said,_

_"Don't worry, little girl. I'm under orders not to touch those beautiful test subjects."_

_Ichigo growled. "They have names, use them."_

_Ukitake cut in, sighing and scratching his head. He said, "We didn't come here to fight. We came to take you and your family back to the Soul Society."_

_"What?" Ichigo asked, accidentally dropping the cup-towel he was holding. Everything in the room was silent except the giggling of Raye. She was laying on her back while Michio, who was eight months old and was the only one able to crawl, waved his hands in front of her face. She tried to grab his hands, and when she failed, they started over again._

_"We came to take you back. There are people who would like to kill you, Kurosaki. And I am under orders from Captain Yamamoto to take you, Mrs. Rukia and the children back with me."_

_"Captain Yamamoto?" Ichigo asked, frowning, then snapping his fingers. "Ah. The guy with the long beard."_

_Rukia kicked him and Ukitake smiled._

_"That's him."_

_"How can we trust you?" Ichigo asked, still firmly planted in front of the smaller three people behind him._

_"In my own words, those children are more important to us alive than dead. If they are alive, they can, in the future, give consent to very few _controlled_ tests if they wish. If they are dead, also in my words, that would hurt everyone. Especially you, Mrs. Rukia, Mr. Ichigo. Trust us. We must go now."_

_Michio broke in just then as he crawled over and grabbed the edge of Ukitake's Shinigami robes. The older man smiled as Rukia reached down to take the baby in her arms. Rukia had changed so much from the scared, new Shinigami he had once known. She was holding Michio with the gentleness of a mother while the look in her eyes said that she would protect him with the fierceness of a warrior._

_"Alright, we'll go," Ichigo said. "Give us a few minutes, there are things we'll need for the twins."_

_Almost twenty minutes later, they were all ready to go through the gate. Rukia had reservations about going. What were they leaving behind? Their life, that was what. Their friends, Ichigo's family, and everything they had built over the months. The life they had managed to piece together and the home that their babies knew so well. _

_"Let's go," Ukitake said, opening the gate. Four hell butterflies came flying out, and Rukia and Ichigo each held on tighter to the babies as Kurotsuchi eyed them._

_"Yeah. Let's go," Ichigo echoed, a smiled coming to his face as he looked backward. Yeah ... they were leaving home, but they would make a new home._

* * *

_**July 14th - 2009**_

_I want to give Michio and Anyame a normal life, but I can't imagine anyone but Ichigo acting as their father. Ichigo loved Michio and Raye more than anything in the __world. He loved me, too, and I want us to be a family. I don't know if he's dead. Whenever I ask Renji, he doesn't answer. It's like he knows something I don't. Since that night when I kissed him and nearly made a mistake, the mistake of giving myself away to him, he has been avoiding me a little. He won't mention Ichigo, and he won't look at me. _

_He knows something._

_I know it._

_Is Ichigo still alive? Is he?_

_I don't know what to believe anymore. I sometimes think that Ichigo is gone, and that I need to move on ... but sometimes I think that he's still out there; I can feel him. And sometimes, like now, I think I'll wait a little longer for him. Maybe he'll come back to me and Michio. Maybe he'll come back in time to see Anyame lose her first tooth. Maybe not, though._

_But I can hold out hope. I know I should do something, move on, and give Anyame a life. If I did right now, she wouldn't remember not having a father. Michio would, but he loves Renji, Renji loves him, and Renji loves me. _

_But do I love Renji?_

Her hand paused over her journal and Rukia smiled as she looked over at Michio, who was hugging the picture of Raye close to his chest as he clenched his eyes shut tightly. He was wearing his pajamas - sky blue with doggies all over them and footies - and was curled under his favorite blanky. He opened his bright violet eyes and looked over at her.

"Mommy, I can't sleep."

She laughed.

"Try a little longer, OK?"

"OK, mommy!"

He turned around and clenched his eyes tightly shut again, and, shaking her head, Rukia went back to biting her pencil as she stared at the paper. She paused her current entry to write: _Michio is so cute. He hugs the picture that he drew, the one he doesn't even remember drawing, and tries to fall asleep because he claims he can see Raye in his dreams. I love him to bits._

The next time she looked over, Michio was sleeping. Anyame, however, was not. She was beginning to whimper in her crib, so Rukia uncrossed her legs and climbed out of bed, her own pajamas dragging across the floor as she went to pick Anyame up. Her pajams, red and silky, were the ones Ichigo had bought her after she had given birth to the twins. He had said:

_"The others were too big because of how fat you were during preg-"_

He had never gotten to finish, because she had thrown the box that the pajamas had come in at him. After, though, she had kissed him and then he pajamas were all forgotten until later that night.

Rukia sat back down on the bed, crossing her legs Indian style as she lay Anyame beside her and let her hand gently run over the baby's tummy. Anyame liked this, and stopped crying as she kicked her feet back and forth in the air. Rukia picked up her pencil with her free hand to continue writing.

_I want to wait for Ichigo. I feel as if he's with me now. I want him here with me ... and Michio and Anyame, and I want Raye, God, I want to see my baby girl again. I want to see her smile and I want to hear her laugh. I want my baby girls to play together, and for Raye to hold Anyame gently in her arms and be proud that her little sister was named after her._

_I want a family ... and I want _my_ family. _

She had loved Renji once. She had really loved him, more than a brother and a friend, and if she had never met Ichigo, Michio and Raye might be Renji's children. But she _had_ met Ichigo ... he had changed her world and turned it upside down and inside out.

And he had loved her, and he had given her a life, and babies, and everything she had longed for. Everything every girl longed for when she reached the age where she wanted a child to love, and a man to love her and that child. She wrote,

_I love Ichigo, and I think I cold love Renji again. Should I? Should I wait? Should I go on, and live? Would Ichigo forgive me if I did? Would he forgive me for giving his baby girl, who he never even knew about, another father? He would, I know it. But he would love her, too, he would love Anyame as much as he loves me, and Michio, and as much as he loved Raye._

_I think ... I think I'll wait a little longer. _

_Then I'll move on, and love another man. Let another man in my heart and another man love my children._

_But ... I'll wait for now._

Putting away her journal and pencil, Rukia smiled down at Anyame and laid down on her stomach, her legs up in the air as she watched the baby begin to eat her toes.

"Are babies' toes really that interesting? Michio and Raye did that, too," Rukia said, reaching over to grab one of Anyame's bare feet to put in her own mouth. Anyame screeched loudly, pulling her foot back and laughing when Rukia just grabbed it again and pretended to eat it. Her bright eyes glowed happily and her small hands waved around in the air.

"Mama!" Anyame said happily, pulling herself up onto her diapered butt. She scooted fowrard a little, wrapping her tiny baby arms around Rukia's neck and hugging her. Rukia hugged the baby back then took a picture out of her journal and pointed to the man with his arms wrapped around her.

"Who's that?" she asked.

"Dada," Anyame said happily, putting her thin fingers over the orange hair in the picture. "Dada," she said again, smiling.

"Yeah, dada," Rukia said, kissing Anyame on the head. "Do you love dada?"

Anyame nodded happily just as there was a knock on the door. She looked up to see Renji already standing in the open doorway, his head leaning against the wood. He smiled softly as he watched Rukia play with Anyame's foot.

"Hey, Renji," Rukia said, turning her attention from him and back to the baby in front of her. The baby who was currently sucking Rukia's picture. The one she always kept with her in her journal. In the picture, she, Rukia, was wearing a light blue, tight dress. It hugged her body, and she had been forced into it by friends, as she hated anything tight. But Ichigo had loved it; his mouth had gone wide when he had seen her. He, in the picture, was wearing a pair of khaki pants with pockets up and down the sides and a T-shirt that had the simple words on it, "I'm a Daddy". His dad had given it to him when they had gotten back to Earth and everthing had settled down.

"Can we talk?" Renji asked, sitting down on the bed. The weight his body caused made Anyame start slipping, but Rukia reached out and grabbed her, kissing her head.

"About what?"

"About what happened."

"What about it?"

Rukia knew she was being impolite, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to forget, not have him bring it up again.

"Do you regret it?"

"I don't know, Renji. I don't know anything. I want ... I want some time."

Renji smiled sadly, nodding,

"I can give you that."

"Thank you."

* * *

"Raye! Are you here?" Michio yelled loudly, prancing around the white room once again. Then, he saw her. But this time, she had a small bunny in her arms. She smiled and waved at him. Huh? She could see him? Musta been 'cause of the pictures.

"Michio, lookie, it's Cookies!"

Michio stared at the bunny, then smiled.

"Guess what?"

"Huh?"

"She's cute."

"_She's_ a _he_," Raye said, sitting down. Then, smiling, she said, "Tell me about mommy."

"Only if you tell me about daddy!"

They both giggled and soon, Raye was telling of all the Earth things she had learned about and Michio was going on and on about Zanpaktou's and Shinigami. Raye wasn't sure she believed everything he said, but it was fun, and she heard a lot about her mommy. Cookies, at one point, got loose and they chased him all across the whole room, though it seemed it had not end, and Michio was the first on the hit into the invisible wall. He rubbed his sore nose.

"Ouch."

Raye giggled at him.

"Michio, is mommy pretty? Daddy said that she's beautiful."

"Uh huh!" Michio said happily. "She really pretty. And Uncle Renji thinks so, too."

"Uncle Renji?" Raye asked, confused. "I have Uncle Ishida and Aunt Ishida ... I mean, Aunt Orihime. Who is Renji?"

"Oh, he's the guy that we live with. I think he loves mommy."

"No, _daddy_ loves mommy," Raye argued, frowning. Michio frowned too, and the two small children sat down, both deep in thought. "What's love mean?"

"I dunno," Michio said, shrugging. "I just always thought it was how mommy felt for daddy and me and Anyame."

"Oh."

They were silent again.

"I know!" Michio finally said, snapping his fingers, something Raye was surprised he could do, as even she couldn't. "They _both_ love mommy!"

"But only _daddy_ is allowed to love mommy," Raye complained, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting.

"Humph," Michio said, frowning. "I like Renji, but I want daddy to be my daddy. But I've seen mommy kissing Renji. It's gross." He stuck out his tongue. "I don't want Renji to be my daddy, but mommy likes him."

They were both silent for a minute until suddenly Raye said happily,

"Let's break 'em up!"

* * *

Well, how's that for an ending? I like it, what about you? And what do you think of Raye and Michio? I'm trying to make them sound like believable kids, but ow am I doing? I have siblings, so that helps.

**_Please Review!_**


	5. Broken

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or the characters.Thanks to** CrystalRaindrop007** for Beta'ing!

* * *

_"Mommy, daddy's coming back, right? Raye said he was. Raye said he loves us, too."_

* * *

**Whispers In Your Heart - V**

**_June 26th 2006 - 3:23 PM_**

_"You're slow, Renji," Ichigo said, smiling as he wiped a line of blood off of his face. Renji, who was much worse off than him, growled and jumped back to his feet, his Zanpaktou drawn. But before either he or Ichigo could attack again, Byakuya stood in the middle of them._

_"That is enough for today."_

_"But Captain - " Renji started to protest. Byakuya cut him off._

_"This training is to help you learn, not kill yourself. Kurosaki is a captain, you will not be able to beat him right off. Take a break, grow stronger, and soon, you will fight again. In the meantime ... Kurosaki!"_

_Ichigo's eyebrows raised and, as he finished drinking everything in the water bottle he had, he looked over at Byakuya, frowning as he wiped more blood off of his face. He said, "Huh?"_

_"My turn."_

_Ichigo had never seen Byakuya smirk, but this was the closest he had ever gotten, and probably the closest he would ever get._

__

"Whatever."

They had just started fighting, and both had nearly gone into Ban-kai when Ichigo suddenly stopped, dropping from the air and to the ground. He was un-hurt, it appeared, until Senbonzakura hit him. Several cuts appeared on his body before Byakuya realized that he wasn't moving. All the Sakura petals dissappeared as he looked over at Ichigo; blood was dripping down his face, and his face held a worried expression on it. He yelled,

"Rukia's in trouble!"

Renji and Byakuya, not bothering to argue with him, followed Ichigo as he ran through the woods until they finally came to a clearing. Rukia was laying in the clearing, blood surrounding her, and the cry of a small child was piercing the air. Ichigo ran over, his Zanpaktou dropping to the ground loudly, and fell to his knees beside Rukia's body. Raye was clutched tightly in her grip, crying as loudly as her small lungs would allow. Her face was bright red, and she, too, was covered in blood, but it was not her own blood.

"Rukia!" he yelled, feeling tears fall down his cheeks as he took her into his arms.

Just like his mom ... his mom ... had died to protect him ...

"No! I won't let you die!" he yelled, holding her tightly to him as he stood up. Raye, however, stopped screaming and reached out, putting her hand on Rukia's chest. Ichigo paused and watched as the large, gaping wound began to close. As he looked around, he realized that Byakuya and Renji were fighting whatever it was that had attacked her. It looked like a Hollow ... but not here in Soul Society, surely?

"I-Ichigo ..."

Ichigo's gaze turned to the woman laying in his arms and he smiled when he saw Rukia holding Raye tightly to her, both still covered in blood. Raye had stopped crying and was waving her bloody hands back and forth while Rukia stared up at Ichigo, her eyes hazy and her words unclear.

"W-what happened?"

"I don't know. Shh, you'll be fine. Raye healed you."

Later, it turned out that the 'Hollow' was some sort of puppet from God knows where, that had been sent to attack Rukia and Raye; well, Raye, really, but Rukia had been the one who was there at the moment, so she had been attacked, too, and nearly killed trying to save Raye.

And as Ichigo stood over Rukia in the medical unit's infirmary, he vowed that he would never let Rukia get hurt again.

No matter what the cost.

* * *

**July 15th 2009**

"Mommy, please tell me about daddy," Michio said, reaching up to grasp her hand as they walked along. He was skipping, kicking rocks every now and then, as she tried to hold him still long enough to put his shoes, which he had thrown off, back on. Anyame was in her arms, only making it that much harder. After a while, she gave up and stuffed the shoes in the diaper bag.

"You want to know about daddy?"

"Uh huh. What was he like? He loved me, right? And he loved you, too!"

When he saw the intense look in his mother's eyes, he knew that Raye was right in suggesting that he bring up memories of their daddy to keep her mind off of Uncle Renji until they came up with a better plan. But ... this could actually be what they needed.

"Your daddy was a wonderful man."

"Where did ya meet?" Michio asked, kicking a rock with his bare foot as Rukia paused to look at some things in a shop window. They continued soon.

"I met him when he was younger. He was rude, annoying and rash then. I didn't care for him as I do now ... but he was a close friend and someone I could trust with my life."

"Did you love him then?"

Another rock was kicked and tears were held back.

"Not then. Later, baby."

They were silent for a while, only the soft snoring of the sleeping Anyame breaking into their thoughts. Michio's eyebrows were drawn. He decided to be direct in asking his mommy about some things. Raye said that daddy taught her that sometimes that was the best way.

"Mommy, do you love Uncle Renji?"

Rukia stopped in her tracks. She sighed. Michio was too much like Ichigo; he could read her feelings and tell everything she was worried about or when she was scared or sad. Michio was watching her, waiting for an answer, and when she finally _did_ answer, she spoke slowly and carefully.

"Not like I loved your daddy ... but I think I might."

"Do you have to?"

If Rukia didn't know any better ... she would say that Michio was pouting. She smiled a little and took his small hand in hers, running her fingers gently over the soft skin. She said, "No, baby, I don't have to, but I might want to."

"Oh."

Michio frowned as he walked along, kicking rocks and staring so intently in the ground, he was sure he was going to make a hole and fall in. But he didn't, and when he finally looked back up, his mommy was smiling down at him.

"You look so much like your father with that look on your face."

Michio smiled brightly, the concentration gone and replaced by a happy, bouncy look as he skipped along. He said, "Mommy, if daddy were still here, would you love him ... or Uncle Renji?"

"I would love daddy."

Michio nodded, pulling his hand from Rukia's to reach down wrap it around a small rock. Standing up straight again, he threw the rock as far as he could. It his against something metal and sent a loud 'clang' through the air. Rukia looked down in concern as he continued to throw rocks at the metal.

"Then love daddy, mommy. Don't love Uncle Renji." Michio then said, "Mommy, daddy's coming back, right? Raye said he was. Raye said he loves us, too."

Rukia smiled sadly, trying to fight tears. She sighed as she helped Michio to his feet. They walked in silence to the Sixth Company's quarters and Rukia walked inside to see Renji sitting behind his desk, his head drowned in a huge pile of paperwork.

"Uncle Renji!" Michio yelled loudly, his hands cupped over his mouth as he tried to wake the sleeping red-head. Renji's head snapped up and his eyes were open and wide in seconds. He fell from his chair and Michio toppled to the ground, laughing, when Renji sat up, paperwork sliding from his head. Rukia just sighed.

"You said you'd watch Michio for me today while I took Anyame with me to shop in town. Can you manage him?" She was smiling as Renji stood to his feet fast, nodding.

"I can handle a four-year-old. Piece 'o cake."

"Really?" Rukia raised her eyebrows, then, shaking her head, leaned down beside Michio, kissing him on the head. "See ya later, Michio."

"Love ya, mommy!" he yelled happily, standing to his feet and wrapping his small arms around her neck in a hug. When she pulled back, she sent Renji a look that said if-anything-happens-to-him-you're-a-dead-man.

She walked out, leaving Renji with Michio, who was hyper.

Poor Renji.

* * *

A few hours later, Renji had just quieted Michio down and was going back to his work. Finally. But Michio didn't like this; all play and no work, he said. Michio shuffled around the room, his sneakers squeaking on the floor as he acted like a train. Renji was rubbing his temple; how in the hell did Rukia manage with both Michio and Anyame? It was impossible ...

Michio dropped down on his butt and crossed his legs Indian style before dropping his head in his hands. He sighed deeply, staring at the wall opposite to where Renji was sitting. His sister's words flashed through his mind, and, deciding that direct would indeed be the best way, he stood up and walked over to Renji's desk, where he stuck out his tongue and knitted his eyebrows in concentration before he climbed up onto the desk, sending paperwork flying in every direction. Seeing this, Renji sighed as soon as Michio landed, cross-legged, on his desk with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyebrows knit.

He looked _exactly _like Ichigo.

"Do you love mommy?"

"Huh?"

"Do you love my mommy?" Michio asked again, his face not changing. Renji couldn't believe it; he was being freaking interrogated by a four-year-old.

"Uh ... "

"Why does mommy think daddy is dead?"

"How did you know that?" Renji asked, glad to get away from the previous subject. Michio rolled his eyes, as if Rukia hadn't been hiding the 'fact' that Ichigo and Raye were dead from the very beginning. He said, "I read it in mommy's journal."

"You read?"

Eyebrows were raised and more sighs came from the small child.

"Mommy's teaching me. Quit avoiding the question."

Nah. There was no way that kid could be four. Maybe ten ...

"Why does your mother think your father is dead ... " Renji repeated the question, hoping that Michio would ask a different one so he wouldn't have to answer. Instead, Michio said,

" 'Cause he's not. Neither is Raye; they both live on Earth ... but mommy thinks they're dead."

"Well -"

Michio didn't give him time to answer. "Why? Can I tell her they're alive? I think she thinks I think that their alive, but she doesn't believe me. She hasn't said anything, but I've mentioned Raye a few times. I think she thinks I think that I'm just dreaming."

Renji's head was spinning. Too ... much ... thinking ...

"Abarai."

Glad for the distraction, Renji turned around to face his captain, who was standing in the doorway, watching as Michio interrogated Renji.

"Yes sir?"

His head still hurt.

"Finish up your paperwork. I'll take Michio for a walk; there's something I need to tell him, anyway. But finish before I come back."

"Right."

Renji turned around and went back to work as Michio jumped off of his desk and followed Byakuya out the door. He was skipping happily, as if he had actually learned something from Renji ... which he hadn't. They walked silence for a while; until Michio reached up and put his small hand through Byakuya's. The older man was surprised, but when he looked down to see Michio happily kicking rocks across the ground as they walked, he couldn't bring himself to pull his hand from Michio's. Instead, he held onto his hand tighter. Michio was the one who began to speak first.

"Uncle Bya-kun?"

"Yes, Michio?"

"Why does mommy think daddy and Raye are dead? 'Cause they're alive."

Byakuya took a deep breath in. Talking about death to a four-year-old was difficult.

"Michio, that was what I wanted to talk to you about. If I told you this, would you promise to not tell your mother?" At a nod from Michio, Byakuya continued. "Your father and your sister are indeed alive. They were sent to Earth in order to protect you and your mother."

"And Anyame!" Michio said happily, kicking another rock.

"And Anyame," Byakuya agreed. "But the reason that your mother had to believe your father was dead; he was hurting her."

"Huh? Daddy was hurting mommy? How?"

Michio had a million other questions ... but he wanted to know the answer to that one the most.

"They have a bond, like you and Raye do. You can see Raye in your dreams ... but your mother and father had a much deeper connection. They don't know it, though. Are you following?"

Michio nodded and Byakuya nearly smiled. He was a really smart kid.

"Your father was hurting your mother by their bond. Unlike yours and Raye's, theirs was different. Instead of being able to communicate, the only thing we could detect from Rukia's and Ichigo's was that, unknowingly, he was pulling Reiatsu from her and adding to his own. Not only was this making her spiritually weak, but it was hurting her."

"Would she have died?" Michio asked, sticking his fingers in his mouth. He didn't understand much of what his uncle was saying, but he understood that his daddy had been hurting his mommy, without knowing so.

"Yes, she would have died."

"So that's why mommy has to think daddy is dead?"

Byakuya nodded, saying, "Though he doesn't know that was the reason."

"Why does mommy have to think he's dead, though?"

"We knew that, in the shock and pain that learning that he was gone, Rukia would unconsciously break the connection between herself and Ichigo. We hoped, at least. And she did. We're so sorry that you have to live without a father, Michio, but that was the way it had to be. Raye and Ichigo are still alive on Earth, as you know, but Rukia can't know that. You can't tell your mother."

"Why not? I want mommy to love daddy! Not Uncle Renji! I want daddy and Raye to be here with us and Anyame! He doesn't even know about Anyame, and neither did Raye! I want Raye and daddy here with me because I promised mommy I would protect Raye!"

The firm, but almost broken look on Michio's face made Byakuya wrap his arms around the small, sobbing child. He had never held anyone but his wife so gently, but it felt so right to have the small child in his arms. Michio buried his face in Byakuya's shoulder and cried loudly, his body shaking as he whispered,

"I want daddy to come back and love me and mommy."

Hearing the pain in the child's voice and remembering the look in Rukia's eyes when she had learned of Ichigo's 'death', Byakuya closed his eyes slowly. He wanted to do something. He wanted to piece together a broken family.

He was going to get Ichigo back. He would find a way to make it safe.

He had to.

* * *

If you didn't understand anything, PM me or ask me in your review!

**_Please Review!_**


	6. A Child's Mind

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or the characters.Thanks to** CrystalRaindrop007** for Beta'ing!

* * *

_"I want mommy and daddy to meet again. They'd get all kissy and mushy and stuff, but as long as mommy doesn't love another man, I'd be happy."_

* * *

**Whispers In Your Heart - VI**

_**August 3rd, 2006 - 2:52 PM**_

_Ichigo smiled as he watched Michio and Raye run around the house. They were both screaming loudly and happily; at a year and two months, they were both walking and beginning to talk. They were a handful. Sighing, Ichigo settled back into the couch, his eyes closing briefly before Rukia walked into the room. She kicked his feet off of the table and he pouted._

_"Rukia ... "_

_"Don't you 'Rukia' me," she said, smirking. "Come on. Up! It's your laundry day."_

_Ichigo groaned, though still smiling, as he pulled himself up off of the couch, and, picking up a baby under each arm as he went, he walked into the laundry room where he sat the twins in a pile of clean laundry; he wanted to keep an eye on them._

_"Dada!"_

_"Hmm, Michio?" Ichigo asked, sitting down on the floor with the basket of socks he had to sort. Michio laughed, his teeth showing as he reached out, trying to grab the sock that Ichigo was waving around in the air. Ichigo smirked and held it away from him._

_"Dadadada!" Raye babbled, laying down on her back and kicking her feet in the air. Ichigo sighed, reaching over to rub her stomach; she liked that. He had once referred to her as a 'good little puppy' and Rukia had kicked him so hard he hadn't been able to walk straight. _

_The babies continued to play around aimlessly while Ichigo continued to put the socks together; he was glad that Rukia had made him get the babies different colors, as they were the same size. Raye had yellow, pink and red while Michio had blue, green and orange. But the socks were so tiny ... it was cute. He smiled, putting one on his finger. It was amazing that they were so small. When he held either of the twins' hands in his, he was still amazed that they were so tiny. And they were his and Rukia's._

_"Ichigo?"_

_"Hmm?" Ichigo asked, turning around, smiling at Rukia. Michio was toddling over to her, grabbing onto her leg and bouncing up and down, chanting 'Ma mama ma mama'. Rukia laughed as she reached down to pick him up. She said,_

_"Where did you put my toothbrush?"_

_"Didn't touch it."_

_Rukia sighed, and, handing Michio back to Ichigo, she walked out of the room. Ichigo smirked; Rukia was always losing something. Well ... most of the time, it _did_ end up being his fault, but still ..._

_"Raye," Ichigo warned, "Eat that sock, and no tummy rubs for a week."_

_He would have laughed at himself if he weren't used to this. It was strange how one adapted so quickly to holding a child smaller than a pillow and talking sweetly to them. _

_Raye dropped the sock she was holding and smiled, giggling for no reason as she stood to her feet and toddled over to him, falling into his lap and sticking her fingers in her mouth. He smiled and kissed her head. _

_Ichigo was about to go back to folding socks when Michio stood to his own two shaky feet and walked over, holding his hand out to touch Raye. She reached out her own hand, and Ichigo watched, interested, as their tiny baby fingers met. When a light blue glow suddenly surrounded them, he broke them apart immediately and watched as they just giggled and laughed._

_What the hell had just happened?_

_

* * *

_

**July 15th, 2009 - 1:13 PM**

"Teacher-sama?" Raye asked, walking over, a frown on her face. The young woman smiled, reaching out and ruffling Raye's hair. She giggled, her frown replaced by a smile as the young woman, whose name tag read 'Dani', pulled up a bright blue, child's chair beside her own.

"Yes, Kurosaki-chan?"

"I've gots a question."

"OK. What is it?"

"Well ... more like a _problem_. See, my daddy and my mommy live apart because ... well, they have reasons." Raye knew she wasn't supposed to say anything about what she had learned from Michio or Ichigo. She continued, "Daddy still loves mommy and mommy still loves daddy, but mommy is starting to love another guy that _isn't_ daddy. 'Nother problem. Mommy thinks that daddy is dead."

The teacher sat there, wide-eyed, as she watched the young girl before talk like a teenager; minus the daddy and mommy bits. No teenager who wanted a social life said mommy and daddy.

"And I have a brother, he's my twin! But him and I talk to each other, so I know all about mommy and he knows about daddy, but neither daddy or mommy believe that we're talking to each other, so mommy doesn't know daddy is alive and daddy doesn't believe that I've seen Michio and stuff." She took a breath. "I want mommy to love daddy, but since she thinks he's gone, Michio, that's my brother, said that mommy wants to love someone else. We decided to break mommy and the other guy, Uncle Renji, up. But it's up to my brother to do it because I can't get in touch with mommy and Uncle Renji, but boys are dense and I don't think he's gonna do it right."

Dani just gaped.

"Anyway, if my mommy and daddy live soo far apart, how can they love each other? I know my daddy wants to see my mommy; he gets all sad and stuff when I mention her."

"OK," Dani said, trying to piece her thoughts back together. "So, you and your brother are trying to break your mommy and another man up?"

"Mm hm."

"And your mommy believes that your daddy is ... gone?"

"Correct-o."

"So now it's up to you two to try and get them back together before your mommy falls in love with another man."

"Yup yupper! I want mommy and daddy to meet again. They'd get all kissy and mushy and stuff, but as long as mommy doesn't love another man, I'd be happy."

"Then try and get them to meet. Think up an excuse to get your daddy to go where your mommy lives. Say ... does she live near a park or something?"

"Mm hm."

She didn't really know, but she would ask Michio that night.

"Right. Then tell your brother to get your mommy to go to the same place as you get your daddy to go to and have them meet."

"Yay! Alright! Thanks, Teacher-sama!"

Dani smiled as she watched Raye skip off. Sighing, she fell back into her chair. Since when had she started teaching a bunch of over-mature children? Life was hard. She continued to sign the papers she had been working on until Raye had bounced up. She had finished nearly half of them when she heard a lout scream.

Dropping her pencil, she ran outside to where the children were playing. She looked around, and finally a small boy ran up to her, grabbed her by the arm, and yelled,

"Quickie! Quickie! Kurosaki-san is hurt!"

Dani ran over to where the little kid led her and gasped when she saw Raye. The little girl was crying, blood staining her whole leg. When she dropped down beside Raye, Dani reached out and gently probed the skin; there was a large gash on her knee. She had cut herself on the swing-set.

"Raye, stay right here. I'll go get the nurse, alright?"

* * *

"Yo."

Ichigo knew that it wasn't the best way to answer the phone, but it would work. The person on the other end was slightly frantic until he stopped her, asking, "Wait, wait, who is this?"

"This is Dani, from your daughter, Raye's, preschool!"

"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked, sitting up straight in his chair, causing some things to fall to the floor; he didn't even notice.

"Raye ... she hurt herself. She was bleeding badly, and when I ran off to get the nurse ... when I came back, she was completely healed and she was running around happily! I don't know what happened and ... and ... "

"OK, calm down, please, Dani-san," Ichigo said, taking a deep breath. "I'll be there in half an hour, alright?"

"A-alright."

Ichigo was there in ten minutes.

He ran inside, in search of Raye, and was surprised when she attacked his knee gripping it tightly, smiling up at him. Her ice blue eyes were glowing and her black streaked orange hair was bouncing in the pig-tails as she jumped up and down.

"Daddy!"

"Raye ... where is your teacher?" Ichigo asked, reaching down and picking her up in his arms. She pointed him to where Dani's office was and he knocked on the door, walking inside and sitting down when she motioned for him to. She was still visibly shaking, and, after seeing a little girl hurt and bleeding, then a minute later, perfectly fine, he would have been shaking, too.

"What happened, Kurosaki-kun?" Dani asked. "Raye, she was bleeding badly. She was hurt badly. Then ... then she was fine."

Ichigo sighed, glad that he still had some memory eraser left over from Rukia's stock years back. He said to Raye, "Go outside and play for a while, alright?"

Five minutes later, after Dani's memory was erased and replaced with something having to do with mutant turtles, Ichigo walked outside and picked Raye up; it wasn't time to go home, but she could bail out on one day of school. When she was buckled into her booster seat and Ichigo was driving, he began speaking to her.

"You healed yourself again, didn't you, Raye?"

"Sorry, daddy," she said, looking down at the car floor as she stuck out her bottom lip. "But it hurt really, really badly."

"I know it hurts, baby, but you can't heal yourself in public. You have to let the doctors do that. No one can know of your special powers, alright?"

"Alright."

The sigh than Raye emitted made Ichigo smile.

"Good. Now, do you want to get some ice cream before we go home?"

* * *

"I wants Cookies 'n' Cream!" Raye said, jumping up and down in front of the ice cream freezer in the grocery shop. Ichigo smiled.

"That was your mother's favorite kind."

"Huh? Really? Well, I likes it to."

She was smiling happily, bouncing around. Her light pink, speghetti tank-top would slide up her pale skin every time and her sandal-clad feet thunked on the floor. Ichigo reached a hand down, placing it on her head to hold her in place. She giggled, reaching into the freezer and taking out a small tub of the Cookies 'n' Cream ice cream. She held it tightly to her chest and smiled widely as she began to hop in circles.

Nah. She didn't need anymore sugar.

"Daddy, can we gets some cookies, too?"

"What for? We have cookies at home - "

"That's ma bunny! No eating him!" she said, poking Ichigo in the knee - one of the highest things she could reach. She was small, like Rukia.

"We have cookies in the ice cream," Ichigo tried. Raye shook her head and he sighed, though his heart wasn't in it; he wanted cookies, too. He said, "What kind do you want, ya little cookie monster?"

"Hmm ... I wants ... Oreo!"

Ichigo nodded and took a pack of the cookies off of the shelf; he knew they were her favorite, and his, too. They both loved the Oreo's.

Finally, when they were back in the car, Raye asked, "Daddy, where does mommy live?"

"Far away, baby."

"Where?"

"Somewhere we can't go."

"Where?"

Ichigo sighed.

"Where?" Raye asked again, frowning.

"She's a princess that lives in a castle in another world with the strict prince, who is her brother, and-."

"Daddy!" Raye moaned, rolling her eyes. Ichigo smiled at her in the mirror. Raye then asked, "Daddy, I told you I could see Michio in ma dreams, right? Well ... he told me that mommy likes Uncle Renji. Is that bad?"

Raye didn't notice Ichigo stiffing, but as soon as she had said the words, Ichigo bit his lip. _Rukia likes Renji ... _He knew something like that might happen, as she thought he was gone and would want to move on ... but it hurt him.

"He said that she's waiting for you. Can we go back, daddy? I don't want mommy to have to wait too long."

"Maybe one day, Raye."

"OK."

She sighed, looking down at the floor as she kicked her feet back and forth slowly. Ichigo watched her in the mirror and smiled softly; she needed a mother. Someone to hold her lovingly like he couldn't. She needed a mother's touch. Someone would be home with her during the day and make cookies with her and who would go to the mall and shop all day.

"Daddy? Why do you look sad again?"

Raye's small, soft voice cut into his thoughts and Ichigo glanced back at her before turning his eyes to the road again.

"No reason."

"Mommy?"

Though it sounded like question, both Ichigo and Raye knew she was right; he was thinking of mommy again. He sighed.

"Yeah, I was thinking of mommy again."

He was always thinking of mommy.

* * *

I'm done writing. My fingers are about to fall off, to please take two seconds and review.

And if any of you are wondering something along the lines of "Why is Raye in school even though it's supposed to be July?" ... it's because Ichigo has work and he doesn't want to leave Raye with Goat Face (His dad) or in Daycare, so he put her in Summer School.

**_Please Review!_**


	7. Tears Shed For You

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the characters. Thanks to **CrystalRaindrop007** for Beta'ing!

* * *

_I want Ichigo here with me and the kids, and I want Raye back. I want to be a mother to my baby girl. __And ... Happy birthday, Ichigo._

* * *

**Whispers In Your Heart - VII**

**_December 25th, 2006 - 12:32 PM_**

_Ichigo watched Michio and Raye as they played around. It was Christmas Day , and even though they had gotten lots of gifts, they were having more fun with the wrapping paper than the toys. Like most babies did, he guessed. They were growing so fast, though. Their birthday, four days ago, had seemed to pass in a blur. They were two now, no longer babies, really. They were toddlers, they were walking, talking - but not much yet, which was strange. They were growing so fast._

_Rukia noticed the thoughtful look on Ichigo's face as he watched the babies, so she walked over and wrapped her arms around him from behind, smiling when he turned around in the embrace and looked into her eyes. She asked,_

_"What's wrong, Ichigo?"_

_"Nothing. I'm just thinking" he said, kissing her on the forehead._

_"Thinking about what?"_

_"Michio and Raye. They're growing so fast."_

_"I know it. I can't believe they turned two a few days ago," Rukia said, sighing deeply. She smiled as Raye squeaked and fell onto her diapered butt as she began to run away from Michio, who was chasing after her with a ribbon. "But I still remember when I was wishing they would sleep through the night; they were so tiny then."_

_"Ha. They're _still _tiny. Raye's hand is so small ... when I put it in mine ... " Ichigo smiled as Raye hit into his leg. She fell onto her butt again and blinked up at him, as if not sure what had happened, then her small face scrunched up and she began crying. He reached down to pick her up and Michio, wanting attention, too, ran up to Rukia and said,_

_"Mama! Pickie uppie!"_

_She laughed and picked him into her arms. Michio plated a sloppy kiss in Rukia's cheek before settling happily into her arms. _

_Soon, both children were asleep, worn out from a happy day filled with laughter and gifts. When Rukia had laid them down in their cribs, Ichigo walked in and smiled at her and them both._

_"Ichigo ... " Rukia started, frowning a little as she bit her lip; she wrapped her arms around herself as she stared at the children. "Promise ... promise you'll never leave me?"_

_"Rukia, what's wrong?" Ichigo asked, walking over and putting a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to face him. He could see tears in her eyes as he pulled her small frame to him._

_"Please, never leave me, Ichigo."_

_"I promise, Rukia. I'll always be here," he said, closing his eyes and breathing in deeply of her scent. "What brought this on? You know I'll always be here."_

_"Last ... last night I had a dream that you died and ... and ... "_

_Ichigo stopped her speaking by pressing two fingers gently to her lips._

_"Shh, Rukia. I'll be here, don't worry. If there is anything in the world I can do to be here, I will."_

_

* * *

_

**July 15th, 2009 - 9:26 PM**

Rukia sighed as she sat down on her bed. She had just gotten Michio to sleep, after he had spent a whole day with Renji, who got him so hyper that he couldn't stop speaking of even stop running in circles. Breathing in deeply, she leaned back against her bed, trying to ignore the callendar above her head. She didn't want to think about what day it was. Not now, when she was so emotionally drained. Not now ...

But the two numbers glared back at her and she sighed, closing her eyes as she dropped her head into her hands.

_July 15th ..._ It was Ichigo's birthday.

This was the third birthday that had gone by - he had died in June, so they had only been alone for two years, however.

Holding back tears, Rukia opened her journal and began to write with shaky hands. She had been able to force the date out of her mind all day, but at night when she was alone and wanted Ichigo with her more than anything, without the daily distractions of life bugging her ... it seemed so much more real to her.

_Today is Ichigo's birthday. I left Michio with Renji because I wanted to be alone. Last year, I didn't have a chance to be alone. But today I was; after quickly shopping, I dropped Anyame off with Renji, too, saying I wanted to be alone._

_After that ... I went and sat in the little place we had called our own. It's a beautiful place, and I've never brought anyone there before. The river runs through so closely and the trees above me shield me from the sun. Today, the wind was gentle and it was blowing my hair around. I want to being Michio there, to show him the place that his dad used to love so much. _

Rukia smiled as she looked over at the sleeping boy across the room. He was so small ... but he was so smart for a child his age.

_When Michio asked me about loving Renji today, I was surprised. I didn't know how to answer ... and to a child! But I told him the truth; I think I might love Renji but never, ever, will I be able to love him like I loved Ichigo. Like I _love_ Ichigo. But ... I don't know if I can love him, after seeing the look in Michio's eyes as he begged me not to love him ... as he begged me to love a man who is gone forever._

_I saw pain in his eyes. He's so small, yet to know that he can feel that kind of pain ... it hurts me, too. I want Ichigo to come back and be a father to Michio. I think he's alive. I can almost feel him if I try hard enough. Not his Reiatsu, but _him_. I asked Renji again about Ichigo today, and he just brushed me off. But I saw something in his eyes._

_Something's wrong. Renji isn't telling me something, I know it._

_I want Ichigo here with me and the kids, and I want Raye back. I want to be a mother to my baby girl._

_And ... Happy birthday, Ichigo._

Rukia stopped writing when she realized how badly her hands were shaking and when she noticed the tear droplets on the paper. Smiling sadly, she closed the journal and climbed into her bed, curling up in the quilt. It felt so cold, without him there, and without Raye. When Raye would have a nightmare, she used to curl up between them and they would all, for Michio hated missing out on the attention, fall asleep together.

Sighing, Rukia laid her head on the pillow and fell to sleep.

* * *

"Moooommy!"

Rukia slowly opened her eyes to see Michio sitting above her, grinning happily. He was bouncing up and down, making the bed creak. And as she opened her eyes further, she saw Anyame sitting at the end of the bed, trying to bite Rukia's toes through the blanket. Rukia laughed sleepily and sat up reaching down and picking Anyame into her arms. Even at a year and a half, she was tiny.

"Hey guys. What's up?"

She rubbed her eyes and smiled a little as she watched Michio. The little boy had finally sat down and was reaching for Anyame as she tried to climb out of Rukia's arms and into his lap. He giggled and hugged her.

"Guess what, Mommy?" Michio asked. Rukia ruffled his hair as she got out of bed.

"What?"

"I seed Raye in my dream again!"

"Oh, really?"

Rukia felt a stab of pain in her heart. Why was Michio dreaming of Raye? Why ... no, how had his mind put together an older version of her that he was constantly dreaming of? When Michio spoke again, and Anyame chirped in, she was broken from her thoughts.

"She told me that she likes Cookies 'n' Cream!"

"Cookie!" Anyame said, bouncing around on the bed. Michio frowned and reached out, grabbing his little sister's pajamas and holding her still; she was close to the edge. Rukia smiled at this; he was so protective of her.

"Cookies 'n' Cream, huh?"

"Yep. That's what she said. She makes me all confuzzled."

Rukia smiled fondly as she walked over and dropped back down on the bed, her head coming to rest in her hands as she smiled at Michio. He asked, "Mommy, why are you so happy?"

"Because of you and Anyame, baby."

Michio pouted. The look on his face was priceless as he said,

"I'm not a baby! I'm a big boy."

"OK, then, "Big Boy", why don't we go make something for breakfast? Mommy is hungry."

"Me, too! Me, too!" Michio said, jumping up and down. Rukia smiled and quickly shooed the kids out before changing into a light purple sweater and a khaki skirt. She didn't like to dress in her Shinigami outfit around the kids; it sometimes scares Anyame as she usually had her Zanpaktou. After changing, Rukia walked out to see Michio leading Anyame into the kitchen, holding her hand. Renji was leaning against the wall, smirking, as he watched them.

"He sure does watch out for her, doesn't he?" he asked. Rukia nodded.

"Yeah. A few days ago, he was so happy in announcing that he was going to protect her." She smiled and sighed. "He's so much like Ichigo. I just hope he doesn't go doing hair-brained things like his father, too."

Renji nodded. "Ah."

Rukia walked off into the kitchen and lifted Michio onto her shoulders. He squeaked happily and Anyame protested, jumping up and down in front of Rukia, chirping, "Ma mama! Me, me!" She was so adorable. Her black hair was bouncing in the tiny pigtails they had been put up in, and she was still dressed in a pair of tiny, pink pajamas. Renji smiled and shook his head, turning away and walking out of the room.

He walked into Rukia's room when he saw that Michio had left on his blinking night-light, and as he reached down to turn it off, his eyes caught sight of a small, brown book lying under Rukia's bed. He walked over and took it into his hands, opening it to the first page. There was taped a picture of Rukia, Ichigo, Michio and Raye, and Renji knew that it was immediately. It was a journal. He should have put it down right then and there, but his fingers moved on their own as he opened it to the first page.

_June 7th, 2007_

_Captain Unohana gave this to me as a pregnancy journal ... I'm pregnant again! I didn't know what to think at first, but now, I'm so happy. Raye and Michio will have another baby brother or sister and Ichigo will be so surprised. I can't wait to tell him. I hope he's OK with this. I want him to be, because I want him to love this child as much as I do already. _

Renji glanced back at the date at the top of the journal; it was the day before Ichigo 'died'. He flipped to the next page. He wanted to know how Rukia had felt about what they had done by telling her that lie that had changed her life.

_June 10th, 2007_

_Ichigo ... he's gone. I can't believe it. I can't believe it. He told me he would never leave me alone. I love him so, so much ... what am I going to do? And my baby girl ... they're both gone. _

Renji's heart clenched as he read the words. He noticed that the whole page was worn in places; teardrops, shed and dried. As he quickly flipped through the pages, not pausing to read the words, he noticed that a lot of them were tearstained. He also noticed there was a huge time-skip. There were no entries after June 10th, 2007; the soonest after that was January 2nd, 2008. The day that Anyame was born.

_January 2nd, 2008_

_I want Ichigo here. As I gave birth to our daughter today, I screamed his name in the pain. I wanted it to be him here with me, holding my hand, like he did when the twins were born, instead of Renji. I know he means well, and I know ... I thank him for being there with me when no one would or could, but I still want Ichigo back. I want him to see his baby girl. I named her Anyame Raye Kurosaki. I named her after her sister because I know that Raye would have liked that. I wish Raye could be here to hold her baby sister. When I placed the tiny baby in Michio's arms, his eyes were glowing so happily. He said,_

_"I wants to protect her _and_ you, mommy!"_

_It was so cute. I love him so much. He's so much like Ichigo, too. Every time I look in his eyes, I feel sad, because he reminds me so much of his father. And I feel bad about it. When a mother looks into the eyes of her son, whom she loves so much, she shouldn't feel sad; she should feel happy and proud._

_I have to push on, because now I don't only have Michio to raise and give the best life I can, I have Anyame, too._

_I love them both._

_I love you, Ichigo._

Renji closed the journal. If he read more, he would only be reading the same thing: pain. Pain of not having a husband, pain of losing a daughter and pain of having to live on. He had never known ... that it had hurt her so bad. But almost every single page in the journal was wrinkled where tears had landed and dried. She cried every time she wrote in her journal.

Putting it back in its place, he walked out into the kitchen again to see Rukia holding Anyame up to the counter as she happily poked the pancake that had just finished cooking. He laughed quietly; only a girl of Ichigo and Rukia could have fun in poking a _pancake_.

Rukia looked up at him and smiled, a glow in her eyes that he hadn't seen in quite a while.

It was because of her children, he knew, not him. It was because of her baby girl and her little boy that that glow had returned.

Michio ran up to Renji and took his hand, saying, "Uncle Renji, come quick! The pancake is _moving_!"

Renji laughed as he allowed Michio to haul him into the kitchen.

He knew that Rukia could never love him like she had loved Ichigo, she might not be able to love him at all, but ... he could love her from a distance and take care of her like he had promised Ichigo.

Because he was her friend.

* * *

Hmm ... well, I think Renji finally got it through his thick skull that I'm not making this RenRuk. : D RenRuk friendship, yes, but not relationship.

I think. _(Evil laugh)_

**_Please Review!_**


	8. Get Your Girl

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the characters. Thanks to **CrystalRaindrop007** for Beta'ing!

* * *

**Whispers In Your Heart — VIII**

**_December 31st, 2006 - 9:56 AM_**

_"Ichi-nii! Rukia-chan!" Yuzu said happily, opening the door and smiling wide. She had changed; she was sixteen now. Her hair had grown longer and her face had lost its little girl look. She was turning into a woman, but her happy smile was still the same. Ichigo smiled and hugged her, and when the baby poked his head out from between his legs, a curious look on his face, Yuzu laughed and reached down, picking Michio up. _

_"Hiya, Michi!"_

_The small child giggled, and Raye, not to be outdone, toddled out from behind Rukia and let go of her mom's hand as she ran inside. _

_Ichigo closed the door behind him and helped Rukia take off her coat, then he hung it up with his and shrugged his shoes off before he and Rukia walked into the living room. _

_"Helloooooo, Ichigooooooo!"_

_Ichigo ducked just in time to avoid a flying kick from his dad. Isshin slid across the floor and slammed into the door. Minutes later, he was pouting as Yuzu placed a huge band-aid over his forehead._

_"Daddy is hurt."_

_"Suck it up," Ichigo said, rolling his eyes._

_"Dada!" Raye yelled, toddling into the room and grabbing Ichigo's legs. She was smiling, and her black streaked hair was let down. Her clothing was a pair of khaki jeans and a purple sweater. Her bright blue eyes were glowing and Isshin said,_

_"I stand corrected. Granddaddy is hurt."_

_Ichigo ignored him as he turned to Yuzu._

_"So, how is everything with you and Jinta? And where is Karin? Is she avoiding us or something?"_

_Yuzu laughed. "No, she's out. I sent her to fetch some stuff from the store. She should be back soon. And me and Jinta are fine. Oh! Look what he gave me!"_

_Yuzu and Rukia oogled over the pretty necklace that Yuzu had while Ichigo took Raye, for Rukia had Michio, and followed his dad into the living room. He dropped down on the couch, letting Raye climb off his lap and grab onto the back of the sofa to jump up and down. Isshin asked,_

_"So, how are things in the Soul Society, Ichigo?" Isshin asked, smirking as Ichigo dropped his head back with a sigh._

_"Things are good. What about here? How, exactly, _are_ Yuzu and Jinta?"_

_At this, Isshin started crying, his slightly-seriousness gone. Ichigo rolled his eyes._

_"I think that if they were older, that necklace would have been an engagement ring!"_

_"That well, huh, old man?"_

_"Old man!" Raye chirped, climbing off the couch and toddling over to Isshin. "O man, O man!"_

_Isshin picked her up, smiling. He said, "Yeah, that good. But, unlike you, mister, I don't think she'll make me a grandpa when she's eighteen." _

_Ichigo glared at him. "Ah, shut it. You _can't _deny that you weren't excited at the prospect of having a grandchild to whine over. And ya got two." _

_They talked for a while more, about Yuzu, Karin, Ishida, Orihime and Chad, and about Urahara and Yoruichi and about the Soul society. When Karin came back, she hugged Ichigo and began playing with Michio. She was trying to teach him how to spit with his tongue rolled up; he wasn't getting very far, and when Rukia discovered what she was doing, she frowned and asked her not to._

_"Sorry, Rukia-chan," Karin said, smiling as Michio ran over to Rukia to show her how far he had gotten. He rolled his tongue up and all that happened was a large glob of slobber ran down his chin. Rukia picked him up and used a Kleenex to wipe it off before smiling at Karin._

_"That's OK, you wouldn't believe the things that Ichigo tries to teach the kids."_

_"Oh, I would," Karin said, smiling. "After all, everything I learned was from him."_

_Ichigo ducked a flying, slobbery Kleenex and it hit Isshin right in the face. There was an 'Oops, sorry, Isshin-kun, that was meant for Ichigo', loud peels of laughter, and crying from Isshin as he tried to peel baby slobber from his face._

* * *

**July 17th, 2009 - 7:22 AM**

"Hellooooo, Ichigooooo!"

Another kick was dodged and Raye laughed as Ichigo dipped down, bringing her with him; she was sitting on his shoulders. She said, "Granddaddy is silly!", to which Isshin protested. After a _proper_ greeting, Ichigo shooed Raye off into the kitchen to cook cookies with Yuzu while he talked with his dad.

"I can't believe that Yuzu is getting married next month!" Isshin said, dropping down onto the couch. Ichigo sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Dad, she's eighteen and a half; give her a break."

"But your other sister doesn't even have a boyfriend!"

Ichigo highly doubted that; it was more likely that Karin _did_, but she wasn't telling their dad because, of course, he would act like a blubbering idiot. But he didn't say anything about that; Karin would never forgive him for the interrogation she would have to undergo and the searching of her room for condoms, pictures of boys and/or boys clothing and any sign that a boy had been there.

"So, how have you been, my son?" Isshin asked, watching as Ichigo dropped his elbows to his knees and clasped his hands in front of him.

"Good enough, I guess. Raye healed herself in public the other day again. And I'm running out of that memory stuff that ... that Rukia left behind."

Isshin could see the pain in Ichigo's eyes as he even mentioned Rukia's name. He sighed.

"You still miss her, huh?"

Ichigo glared at him.

"Of course I miss her, goat face! I love her; it's not easy to forget someone you love."

"Ah. I know."

"You seem to have forgotten mom pretty good," Ichigo said, sighing.

"I didn't forget her," Isshin said. "I put her aside to raise you children, what she would have wanted. And I missed her, still do. I disguised it; when I would start hugging that stupid poster of her in the kitchen, those were the times I missed her most."

"Sorry, dad. I was out of line."

"That's OK. I know you miss Rukia, Ichigo."

"I want to see her, dad. I want to see her and Michio. I don't want to live a half life. I don't want to just raise Raye, I want to be a father to Michio, too, and a husband to Rukia."

Isshin smiled sadly as Ichigo put his head in his hands. He said, "I suppose some real talking is the reason you cam here today."

"Yeah. Guess so. Raye's really smart, but I'm afraid I can't talk to her like this. I mean ... you know what it's like, more than I do. Rukia's still alive, even if she doesn't believe that I am. She's still breathing and I know she'll be OK because I know Renji'll look out for her. Just ... talking to you, even if you are a moron, is ... refreshing."

Isshin smiled a little. Then, he asked, "Ichigo, when you loved ... no, that's wrong. How you _love_ Rukia, what is it like? I was always told that love was the same no matter what. But your mother ... I loved her in such a way that I don't think any other love could have been the same."

"Well ... you know when we first met, right? I called you up to me room and you said you couldn't see her. Ha. Anyway ... for the first few weeks I knew her, I was annoyed. Mostly at how my life had changed, I guess. But I was annoyed. She would wake me up in the middle of the night, shove me out of my body, and kick me into the Hollow. She changed my life. She didn't turn it upside down ... she turned it inside out."

Ichigo laughed quietly before he asked, "Dad, why do you want to know this?"

"Getting it off your chest is the best thing you can do, Ichigo. Telling someone else the love and pain you feel will make it only that much easier. I learned that from experience."

"Dad, I really do like you better when you're not acting like an idiot."

"Shut up and talk," Isshin said, smirking.

"When she was taken away from me, God, dad ... I ... when that stupid Sandal 'n' Hat guy asked me if I really wanted to live ...I couldn't answer him. I didn't understand it. Not until Inoue knocked some sense into me. Then ... I knew there was a large chance I would never come back, but I went after Rukia even though I knew that. I think I would have done anything in the world for her. I would have given my life for her, and I almost did."

"Did you love her then? With your mother ... it was a case of love at the hundredth sight."

Ichigo laughed. "I think I fell in love with Rukia before she was taken. In under two months, I knew that I never wanted her to leave my side. God, I sound like a freaking soap opera," Ichigo said. "But when I found out she was pregnant ... that was the most intense moment of my life. And even though I had only known about our babies for minutes, I knew I wanted to protect them and Rukia more than anything in the world. I love Raye and Michio and Rukia."

Neither spoke for a minute, then Ichigo said,

"Dad, I told you about Raye telling me she could see Michio in her dreams, right?" At a nod from Isshin, Ichigo continued. "Well, she's been doing it more lately, and because of their link ... I think she _can _actually see him. I think she can actually talk to him. I don't know any other explanation for it. She knows all about Shinigami and Zanpaktous and about Renji and Byakuya ... she knows too much for it to not be true."

"Wow." It was all Isshin said, but Ichigo knew he meant it; the confused and awed look on his face backed that up.

"It's just ... she said that Michio told her that ... that Rukia, that he thinks that Rukia loves Renji."

Isshin could see the pain in Ichigo's eyes as he said this. He took a deep breath in saying,

"Ichigo ... did you ever learn why Rukia had to believe you were dead?"

"No. What does that have to do with this?"

"I know why."

Ichigo's head snapped up and he looked his father in the eye, his surprise painted clearly on his face. "What? Why?!"

"You, too, had a link. But yours was more deep than Raye and Michio's. It was on such a deep level that you wee sapping Reiatsu from here; she was slowly dying."

"What?" The surprise on Ichigo's face was gone and replaced by a look of horror. Isshin's expression was grim, and his eyes were filled with an unseen emotion. Ichigo couldn't make it out; his dad was good at hiding his emotions, as he had done all those years that Masaki was gone. He had hidden his emotions and put up a façade that even Ichigo hadn't seen through.

"When she was told you were dead, as they had hoped, the surprise and pain that learning you were gone had snapped the connection between you two. The reason you can't go _back_ is because of Raye and Michio's power. Together, they are too strong. Those who are looking for you would search them out immediately and try and kill them. But that doesn't mean that Rukia has to continue believing that you're dead. They aren't sure that the connection won't come back if she knows you're alive, and that is why they will not allow you to see her. But ... "

"But what, dad?" Ichigo asked, hope in his gaze.

"But I know something they don't. Ichigo, me and your mother had the same connection. Two people, drawn together by fate. One a Shinigami and one a human. When you were born, the only thing keeping the Soul Society from coming after us was the fact that Urahara had given you the same chip as he had given Michio and Raye. It was removed when we had settled everything with the Soul Society, but ... since your mom and I shared the same connection, the only thing that broke it was pain and sorrow. I was dying, it was real, not like you and Rukia, but she saved me. But the pain of thinking I was dying ... she accidentally snapped the connection."

"You mean ... mom ... I ... " Ichigo couldn't form words.

"Your mom gave birth to you against the Soul Society's wishes and we hid, just like you did with Rukia and Michio and Raye. But the connection won't come back, Ichigo. I know it won't. Because after Masaki broke mine and hers, we lived together happily for almost six more years."

"Then ... Rukia ... I can see her?" Ichigo asked, trying not to become too hopeful. Everything weighed on what his father said. And, with a smile in his eyes and on his face, Isshin said,

"Go get your girl, Ichigo."

* * *

OK, so I REALLY couldn't help ending it there. Evil? Why _yeees_ I am.

**_Please Review!_**


	9. Precious Moments

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the characters. Thanks to **CrystalRaindrop007** for Beta'ing!

* * *

_"Renji, is Ichigo alive? Is he? Please ... please, just tell me the truth."_

_

* * *

_

**Whispers In Your Heart — IX**

**_March 12th, 2007 - 2:13 PM_**

_"So, Kurosaki-san, what seems to be the problem?" Captain Unohana asked, smiling as she led Rukia into the small, white room. Rukia sat down on the bed as she was told to and clasped her hands together in her lap. She said slowly, "I think I might be pregnant."_

_"Oh, really?"_

_"Mm."_

_"Well, let's find out, OK?"_

_"Thank you, Captain Unohana-san."_

_"Well, that's my job. No thanks needed. What are your symptoms?"_

_"Like last time, not bad though. I was throwing up this morning, and Ichigo brushed it off as the flu, but he doesn't know that I've been throwing up a lot lately. I ... well, we were talking about using birth control a while back, but we never did."_

_"Don't like it?"_

_"I don't know; but since the twins were born, we never have. I guess we ... well, forgot."_

_"Well, I need to take some blood to run a few tests on, alright?"_

_Rukia nodded and winced as the needle went into her skin a few moments later. After Unohana had taken the blood she would need, she gave Rukia a band-aid and smiled at her, saying, "We'll know in about ten or twenty minutes."_

_"Alright."_

_As Unohana went to testing the blood, she asked, "Would it be a bad or good thing?"_

_"I'm not sure. I wouldn't mind, but me and Ichigo have never really talked about a baby again."_

_Unohana laughed, surprising Rukia. She said, "Well, I've seen Ichigo with the twins, and even if he is rash and annoying at times, he loves his children and I don't think he'll mind. I think he'll be ecstatic. He's so good with Michio and Raye; he's a good father."_

_Rukia smiled softly._

_"I know. And he really does love them. During my time on Earth, I saw a lot of fathers who didn't love their children, and I always wondered how they couldn't. Raye and Michio are so very important to me, I can't understand anyone hurting their children."_

_"Some people aren't like you and Ichigo. Some people don't love each other and their children. Even here in Soul Society, there are kids who lack a home like Michio and Raye have."_

_"I know."_

_They were silent for the next few minutes until Unohana announced that the test should be finished. Rukia held her breath while she scanned the results. Unohana shook her head saying,_

_"Nope. Not pregnant. Must really be the flu. Want some medication?"_

_Rukia nodded._

_"A little disappointed?" Unohana asked, handing Rukia a small bottle filled with pills. Rukia shrugged. She said, "Maybe a little. I guess over the last few days while I was deciding whether to come to you or not I kind of got used to the idea. I was pretty sure I was right. Guess not."_

_"Well, you can always keep trying if you want a baby."_

_"Yeah. Anyway, thank you Captain Unohana-san. I have to go now; Ichigo's probably going out of his mind with the twins. They're hyper."_

_Unohana smiled as Rukia left._

**_Later that day ..._**

_"So, what did the good doctor say?" Ichigo asked, wrapping his arms around Rukia from behind. "Ya sick?"_

_"Yeah. I guess I have the flu."_

_"Sorry, Rukia," Ichigo said, kissing her neck as Rukia held Raye in her arms. She smiled as she reached up and kissed him on the lips before pulling back and laying the now-sleeping Raye in her crib; even though she was two, she still rolled a lot so Ichigo and Rukia worried about putting her in a bed. Same with Michio._

_"It's just a little flu. I actually feel better now."_

_"Wonder what it was then. 'Cause usually when you get sick, it hits you really hard."_

_"Hmm."_

_"C'mon, let's go to bed," Ichigo said, yawning deeply._

**_Elsewhere in Soul Society:_**

_"She came in sick today."_

_"What was it?"_

_The male voice was louder than the female one, and there was a slight hesitation before the female spoke again. She said, "Rukia thought she was pregnant, but it turned out she wasn't. There are no signs of the flu, a cold, or anything. She seemed in perfect health."_

_"What about her Reiatsu? What were the levels compared to her normal ones?"_

_"They were low. Terribly low. I'm guessing that it was the decrease in her Reiatsu that caused her to have an upset stomach. She said that it had been happening for a while; I'm guessing probably a week or a little less."_

_"Is it _him_?"_

_"I think it could be."_

_"We need to watch them closely."_

_The female left and nothing else was spoken between the two._

* * *

**July 17th, 2007 — 9:23 AM**

"Mamamama!"

Rukia sighed as she stood from her bed and walked over to where Anyame was jumping and down in her crib, her small, slim hands gripping the railing tightly. Her black hair was a mess from sleep and her pajama pants had been shed in the night somehow. After pulling them back on, Rukia picked Anyame up and walked back over to the bed where she was trying to sort through her paperwork.

Michio was still sleeping, and thank goodness he was; she needed a few minutes — hours — to collect her thoughts. Anyame was fine; she just sat in her mommy's lap and chewed on her toes, but Michio needed constant watching; he liked to get into all sorts of trouble.

Rukia smiled, her violet eyes wandering to Michio, who was curled into a tiny ball in his bed. Anyame followed her gaze and, eyes sparkling, she said, "Bro bro!"

Rukia laughed and kissed Anyame's head; the little girl reached up, her eyes curious, as she rubbed her fingers over her soft hair, trying to see what Rukia had done.

Putting the paperwork down, Rukia swung Anyame in her arms as she said happily, "Bath time, baby, you smell."

Anyame just giggled and reached into her diaper. Rukia's eyes went wide as she saw what Anyame was offering her.

"Oooh, yes. It's bath time."

Ten minutes later, bubbles, water and happy shouts filled the bathroom. Anyame was covered from head to toe in bubbles and she was trying to eat them, but every time, the bubble would pop and she would get a surprised look on her face before laughing and flapping her hands in the water, causing it to fly all over Rukia, who was now completely soaked.

"Mommy?"

Rukia turned around to see a sleepy Michio in the doorway. His hair, which had almost completely turned orange now, was sticking straight up. Rukia reached over and ruffled his already messy hair as he asked, "Can I swim, too?"

He liked taking baths, and Rukia usually let him when she was bathing Anyame; they were too small to care if they bathed together. Some people told her that she shouldn't let them, but they were just babies, really. Michio was only four and Anyame was one and a half.

"Sure, baby: hop in."

Twice as many happy shouts filled the air and twice as much water landed on Rukia and the floor; she was getting a better bath than the children were. When she looked up to see Renji in the doorway, his eyebrows raised and his arms over his chest, she said, "Oops? Sorry it's so wet in here."

"Doesn't matter. You're cleaning up."

"Hey!"

She knew he didn't mean it; the children and Renji always helped her after Michio and Anyame's baths; it was _way_ too much work for one person.

"Mama!" Anyame said, reaching out. Her feet slipped on the bottom of the bathtub and she fell under the water. Before Rukia could do anything, Michio, frowning and reacting quickly, had reached under and pulled her back up. Anyame coughed up bubbles, which sent her into another laughing fit as more water came dribbling out of her mouth. Rukia breathed in a sigh of relief as she picked the baby out of the water and held Anyame's small body close to her own. She turned to Renji, without letting him see Anyame's body, and asked him for a towel; he handed it to her.

"Could you leave until I have them dressed, Renji?" Rukia asked, wrapping Anyame in the fluffy, white cloth before her small body came into Renji's view.

"They're kids, Rukia; let me help you. Doesn't matter if I see them."

"Please, Renji."

He sighed. "Fine."

He left and, after Anyame was dry and prancing, naked, around the bathroom, Rukia helped Michio out of the tub and dried off his small body, then stood to her feet. Both children were still naked; Rukia hadn't thought to bring in clean clothes.

"Michio, watch Anyame; make sure she doesn't get back in the water, alright?"

Michio nodded and Rukia quickly walked out of the bathroom to see Renji leaning up against the wall. She walked past him, not wanting to bother with his questions, and into her and the kids room where she began to shuffle through the drawers of clean clothes. A diaper for Anyame, a clean pair of underwear for Michio. A tiny dress for Anyame and jeans and a T-shirt for Michio.

Renji walked in behind her.

"Rukia ... "

"Don't start Renji."

"This isn't just about that. You're not letting me get close to the kids. C'mon, since Ichigo isn't here, they need some male figure in their lives. God, Michio is a boy and you won't even let me help dress him and Anyame's a _baby_."

"It doesn't feel right, though," Rukia said, closing the dresser and turning around, the clean clothes in her arms.

"Huh?"

"It doesn't feel right to have you do those things. It just ... Ichigo didn't get to do any of those things with Anyame. He didn't hold her when she was born and he wasn't offered the chance to comfort here when she cried at night. He didn't get to be a part of her baby life; nothing. No baths, no diapers, he didn't hear her first word, didn't see her first steps he didn't get to comfort her when she was in pain as her first tooth came in. He wasn't offered the chance to hold her on his knee like he did with Raye. He didn't even see her. He doesn't even know she exists ... " Rukia paused and drew in a deep, shaking breath. " ... I know it's selfish of me, but I don't want you to be that close to Anyame or Michio. I need to do the little things like bathe them myself."

"Rukia ... "

Rukia wiped at her tears as she brushed lightly past Renji. "Excuse me, Michio and Anyame are waiting."

Renji watched as she walked to the bathroom, and he watched as she opened the door and knelt in front of Michio and Anyame; her body was blocking theirs from view as she whispered gently to the two happy kids. He heard Michio ask, "Mommy, why are you crying?" and he lowered his eyes to the ground.

He had been the one to help Anyame stand on her own and it had been his knee that she had sat on and laughed happily. He had held her when she was cutting her first tooth and he had hugged her when she had said her first word. He'd been the one to hold her when she was first born and he'd been the one to help Rukia with the midnight feedings.

Not Ichigo.

What had he stolen from Ichigo?

He'd stolen all the precious moments that Ichigo would have had with his baby girl. He'd stolen a son and a daughter and a wife. And from Rukia, he'd stolen the little girl that she would have given her life for in a second. He'd ripped a family apart. It hadn't been, ultimately, his decision, but he could have fought it. In the end, it wouldn't have made a difference, but why was he hiding Ichigo's existence from Rukia? Why wouldn't he tell her?

It was just then that, looking down, he saw Rukia standing beside him, a sleepy Anyame in her arms and a bouncy Michio running circles around them.

"Renji, is Ichigo alive? Is he? Please ... please, just tell me the truth."

His heart clenched as he saw the pain in Rukia's eyes. He couldn't ...

"No, Rukia."

Rukia bit her lip and turned around on her heel.

And through her door, later, as Renji played with Michio and showed him how to spell his name out, something Rukia and Ichigo should have done together ...

... He could hear her crying.

Because of what he'd stolen.

* * *

Well, a fair amount of both Rukia and Renji bashing. But I felt like making this chapter just because, so you have to live with it. Anyway ...

**_Please Review!_**


	10. Hold Me

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the characters. Thanks to **CrystalRaindrop007** for Beta'ing!

* * *

_"Daddy ... will you hold me, please?"_

* * *

**Whispers In Your Heart — X**

_**March 16th, 2007 — 1:23 PM**_

_"Are you feeling better, Rukia-san?"_

_"No, not much, but thank you for asking," Rukia said, smiling softly as she put her head in her hands. "I still feel terrible; I don't know why. It's been almost a week and a half since I started feeling like this ... Ichigo's really worried."_

_Rukia bit her lip as Unohana nodded, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder. Rukia looked up and smiled bravely. Sitting down beside her on the couch in the Kurosaki home, Unohana looked down at the baby in Rukia's lap. Raye was chewing her fingers quietly, kicking her legs back and forth and watching them as if they really were interesting._

_"How are the children doing?" she asked, trying to start a conversation. Rukia ran her fingers through Raye's soft hair and said,_

_"They're fine. Ichigo's out with Michio right now; they're getting rid of some energy, so it's just me and Raye."_

_"Kind of like a girls day out?"_

_Rukia laughed gently._

_"I guess so. But all she's done without Michio is sit here on my lap and play with her fingers and toes. Unohana-san, do you know why babies find toes so interesting? Raye and Michio are always sucking on them."_

_Unohana laughed and shook her head as she watched Raye reach down, grab her tiny foot, and bring it up to suck on her bright pink toes. Raye giggled and reached out to grip Rukia's shirt in her tiny fingers. Rukia brushed her soft hair back and kissed her on the head before putting her down on the floor and turning to Unohana, asking, "Would you like some tea?"_

_"Yes, please; let me help you."_

_"Alright. Raye?"_

_"Mama?"_

_The little girl stood to her feet and turned to Rukia, her bright blue eyes questioning. Rukia said, "Are you thirsty?"_

_Raye nodded happily and toddled behind Rukia and Unohana into the kitchen where Rukia filled her bottle with water and, putting her in on of the kitchen chairs, handed it to her. Raye sucked happily as Rukia put water for tea on. _

_"Rukia-san?"_

_"Yes?" Rukia asked, walking over to Raye to keep her from crawling out of her chair. Then, she asked, "Unohana-san, why do you think I'm feeling like this? Do you think it's something serious?"_

_"I don't know, Rukia-san, but for now, I brought some vitamins that should help some."_

_Rukia smiled as Unohana took a small bottle from her pocket and handed it to her. "Thanks."_

_**Later That Day ...**_

_"How is she?"_

_"She's getting worse."_

_There was a shattering silence in the room and as the woman moved closer to the man, she said, "I think it's him. There's no way to be sure, of course, but her Reiatsu levels are so low I'm seriously worried. She's tired, and on top of that, she has two small ones to take care of day and night. She's almost to the point of exhaustion, and even Ichigo is worried about her."_

_"Is there anything we can do?" the man asked._

_"We can run a test. I'm going to send him on a few day assignment to the real world, and see how she reacts. But not right away; I have her some pills that should help, and if they do, I see no reason to conduct the test."_

_"Alright. Keep me informed."_

_"Of course." _

_The woman bowed and left the room._

_

* * *

_

**July 18th, 2009 - 5:30 AM**

"Dad, sure you're OK with watching Raye for a while?" Ichigo asked, frowning as he held the sleeping child in his arms. His dad nodded, smiling.

"Sure. Yuzu will love it; Raye's a really good cook ... for her age. Anyway, it'll be good for us. She can skip school for a few days and we can have some Father-Daughter-Granddaughter time. Karin is leaving later this morning, so it'll just be us three. Don't worry, Ichigo; she'll be fine. Did she say she liked the idea?"

Ichigo laughed softly. "_Like_ is an understatement. When she was packing her bag, she was bouncing off the walls. She's fond of you and Yuzu and Karin."

"Alright. Well, you'd better be going. Urahara said he'd open the gate at six."

"Right. Dad, are you sure this is OK? You're sure that the bond won't come back? You're sure that this won't hurt Rukia even more? I mean ... I'll have to leave right after seeing her. Is it really a good idea?"

"Ichigo, she's been waiting all this time. I'm sure she'd wait a little longer. You two are the most stubborn people in the world, and all other worlds. If there's a way, you'll find it. And I know there _is_ a way."

Ichigo ran a hand through his hair and nodded, shrugging Raye's pink and blue backpack off of her back; it was covered in Chappy bunnies. Raye was just like her mom. Ichigo gently handed his father Raye, who shifted and opened her eyes sleepily. Ichigo smiled and kissed her head. "See you in a while, baby."

"Bye bye, daddy," Raye said quietly, hugging him. She smiled and closed her eyes again. "I love you."

"Love you, too."

After a quick good-bye to his father, Ichigo, in Shinigami form, began using Shun-po to get to the Urahara shop. He was twenty-five minutes early, but hey, that man could pull his butt out of bed a few minutes before schedule. But when he arrived, Yoruichi was the only one awake. She was sitting at the table, fully-clothed, _thank God_, and sipping her tea. She smiled at Ichigo as he walked up.

"Hello, Ichigo."

"Hello, Yoruichi-san. Um ... is Sandal 'n' Hat awake?"

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow and looked at him like he was insane. "What? At six in the morning?"

"But-"

"He was originally planning for _me_ to open the gate. C'mon."

Ichigo shrugged and followed her into the back of the shop where they climbed down into the huge under-ground training room. Yoruichi led him over to the gate and smirked, saying, "Sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"Well, I don't know all the details, but I'll take your word for it that this is for the best. Ready?" At a nod from Ichigo, Yoruichi began to open the gate. You'll have to run through Sen-Kimon to get there; I can't get you a Death Butterfly without Central 49 knowing."

"Right."

Once the gate was open, Ichigo thanked Yoruichi before starting through. He paused and said, "Oh, and tell that good-for-nothing Sandal 'n' Hat man ... thanks."

Yoruichi smiled. "Yeah."

He walked through, not looking back. He was only looking forward.

It was harder than he remembered running through the Sen-Kimon, but he made it through without a scratch and when he looked across the brightening horizon, he knew that he was where he wanted to be. Rukia was so close ... he could feel her Reiatsu, even Michio's. The sun was beginning to peak over the hills and it was casting the beautiful colors of the sunrise everywhere.

He began using Shun-po to get to Rukia just as soon as he had stopped taking in everything that seemed so familiar to him, yet so ... foreign. He followed Rukia's Reiatsu to a small house. Renji's house. He smiled; yeah, Renji was taking care of them.

He quietly walked in through a window and took a deep breath when he saw _her_. She was just standing there, her black hair flowing out gently around her face. Her small body was moving slightly, as if to unheard music, and her nightgown flapped in the wind from the window he was currently sitting in. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her, because if he did, he was afraid that he would realize it was all a dream and that none of this was real. That he wasn't looking at her for the first time in years.

He let his eyes wander a little and he felt his heart swell when he saw Michio laying down on the big bed in the room. He was wearing a pair of pajamas with dogs all over them, and as he slept, his breathing was soft and his orange-black hair spiked up.

It felt, however, like his heart was breaking as Rukia turned a little, not enough to see him, but enough for him to see the small baby in her arms. It was a girl, he could tell; her hair was soft black, like Rukia's, and it was slightly messy from sleep. Rukia was humming gently to the baby and Ichigo felt like backing away from the window.

Rukia had moved on, hadn't she?

She'd moved on and built a new life without him.

He was just about to leave when the baby in Rukia's arms suddenly shifted and, popping slobbery, tiny fingers from her mouth, she said happily,

"Dada!"

Rukia smiled at the baby, not turning around, and said softly, "Hmm, Anyame?"

Ichigo's eyes widened a little; Anyame? That was Raye's name ...

"Dada," Anyame said again, this time point a small, thin finger out toward Ichigo. He gasped, but was unable to move from his spot as Rukia turned around. Her eyes went wide, and Ichigo swore that he could see tears in them as her small body began to shake slightly. He smiled.

"Um ... hi?"

"I-Ichigo ... " Rukia's voice was shaking as Ichigo jumped from the window and landed in the middle of the room, reaching out a hand to press it gently to Rukia's face. He said softly, forcing down the lump in his throat and pointing to Anyame, "She's beautiful."

"Ichigo ... y-you came b-back?"

Her voice was unbelieving, and the tears had began to slowly make a path down her face as she just stared into his eyes. He nodded, reaching out and taking Anyame from Rukia's arms; she was shaking so badly that the baby might have dropped. He set Anyame on the ground gently, on a blanket that had been previously laid out for her, and reached out, taking Rukia into his arms. She collapsed in his embrace and clutched tightly to his shirt. He smiled as he buried his face in her hair.

"How've ya been, Rukia?"

She didn't answer, but he didn't expect her to. She just cried, though he knew her tears were those of happiness, not of pain. When she pulled back a little, she reached up and kissed him gently on the lips; she began to back away, but Ichigo held her tightly to him and deepened the kiss.

When he broke it, he held her against him and just breathed in her scent. He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that; maybe five minutes. But neither moved and neither wanted to move. Ichigo whispered, "God, Rukia, it's been so long."

A new wave of tears attacked Rukia.

"T-Thank you, Ichigo."

"For what?" he asked, pulling back so he could stare into her eyes.

"For c-coming back."

Ichigo smiled. "I told you I'd never leave you, didn't I? I broke that promise, but there was no way I couldn't come back. Sorry it took me so long."

Rukia shook her head and Ichigo could feel the slight movement against his chest. They were once again launched into silence until Ichigo asked,

"Hey ... about the baby ... Um Anyame, is she ... ?" His question trailed off and Rukia nodded, saying, "She's y-yours."

Ichigo was both happy and shocked at the same time. A baby girl ... she was so beautiful ... and she was his?

His thoughts were interrupted, however, when he heard an excited shriek from the other side of the room. Michio was sitting up in the bed, Anyame holding onto his shoulder to keep herself on her feet, and his wide eyes were fixed on Ichigo and only Ichigo. Finally, unable to hold it in any longer, the small child jumped up from the bed, taking Anyame's hand, and ran over to Ichigo, hugging tightly onto his leg. Rukia pulled back a little from Ichigo to smile down at Michio, who looked up at him with tears in his eyes, saying,

"Daddy ... will you hold me, please?"

Ichigo picked up the tiny child in his arms and held him tightly to him; Michio had grown so much. He wrapped his arms tightly around Ichigo's neck and held on as if for his life. Ichigo smiled and reached out, pulling Rukia against him, too.

Anyame protested to being left out and dropped onto her butt, pouting loudly. Rukia laughed through her tears and reached down, picking her up.

"I can't believe you're back, Ichigo. But ... what about Raye? Is she ... "

Ichigo smiled. "She's alive and wants to see you more than anything in the world."

A happy shout of, "Told ya, mommy!" from Michio made Ichigo laugh.

Everything hadn't quite set in yet; he was still in shock. Seeing Rukia ... Michio ... and, oh God, he had a baby girl ... he wanted to hold her in his arms.

Suddenly, the beautiful silence in the room was broken as the door of the bedroom slammed open. When Ichigo turned around and saw the two men in the door, his eyes went wide and Rukia gasped. Kuchiki Byakuya and Abarai Renji were standing in the door, their eyes wide and neither of them moving until Byakuya spoke.

"Kurosaki, what the hell are you doing here?"

* * *

Hmm ... cliffhanger ... kinda. And if you're wondering why Byakuya seems so cold after he said he would find a way for Ichigo to come back ... wait until the next chapter, it'll all make sense, so no whining about that.

**_Please Review!_**


	11. A Million Tears

**NOTE: **There is no flashback in this chapter. I have reasons.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the characters. Thanks to **CrystalRaindrop007** for Beta'ing!

* * *

_"All right. I _suppose_ it's alright if you and mommy go see Raye without me. I'll stay here."_

* * *

**Whispers In Your Heart — XI**

**July 18th, 2009 - 6:11 AM**

"Kurosaki, what the hell are you doing here?"

Ichigo stood, frozen, while his eyes were on the two men in the doorway. Renji's eyes were wide as he looked back and forth from Rukia to Ichigo, and Byakuya's face showed little to no emotion. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Ichigo knelt down and put Michio on the floor. The little boy pouted and grabbed onto Ichigo's leg, refusing to let go. His tiny eyes held tears and his small hands were shaking; he wasn't letting daddy go.

"I asked you a question."

Byakuya's cold voice floated through the room, but the silence continued until Anyame began to cry. Ichigo immediately looked over as Rukia hugged her baby daughter closer. No one spoke until Michio yelled,

"Daddy came back!"

His white teeth were biting his light pink lips and his eyes were filled with hope and happiness as he snuggled his tiny face into Ichigo's Shinigami robes.

"I-Ichigo ... ?"

Renji was speechless as he stared into the room. He had always believed what he had told Rukia: Ichigo wasn't coming back. But as he stood staring into the room, the little boy hugging onto Ichigo, the man he had never known, like he had never touched Renji, the man he had grown up with ... it made his heart ache a little. He couldn't be the man in Michio's life, because Ichigo had come back.

"Hey, Reindeer."

"Don't call me that!"

Ichigo smirked until he turned his gaze to Byakuya's. The older man didn't look amused in the slightest as he spoke.

"Kurosaki, come with me."

Ichigo nodded and reached down, gently prying Michio away from him and handing the little boy over to Renji. Michio pouted and reached back out to Ichigo as Renji tried to hold onto him.

"Daddy! Don't go again!"

"I'm not leaving. Be right back, Michio."

Ichigo walked out of the room, closing the door behind him, taking a deep breath, before turning to face his brother-in-law.

"I asked you a question."

"Yeah. And I'll get around to answering it." Ichigo scratched his head. "I know why I had to leave."

"What?"

"Yeah. My dad told me everything."

"Kurosaki Isshin? That buffoon?"

Ichigo sighed. "Yeah, _him_. Anyway, to make a long story short, I won't hurt Rukia anymore. The only way I could do that is by leaving again. I can't. I _won't_. You didn't see the look in Michio's eyes ... he wanted me to hold him. The first thing he said to me was, "Hold me Daddy, please." I can't leave him and Rukia alone now. Or my little girl. I want me and Rukia, Michio, Anyame and Raye to be a family again."

"Why did you come?"

His voice was still cold.

"I came because I love them."

Six simple words, holding more meaning to them than anything else he could have said. Six simple words that finally seemed to make it through Byakuya's cold mask.

"What do you mean you won't hurt Rukia anymore?"

"She broke the link between us when I 'died'. Dad said it wouldn't come back, and I believe him. Him and my mother had the same connection, it seems. Ah ... long story, don't ask."

"I'm not sure I trust you."

"I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm asking you to let me be with my family, and not stand in the way. Because no matter what you do, I love Rukia and our babies more than anything in the world, and there is _nothing_ that will keep us apart, not if there is no reason to."

Byakuya stared deep into Ichigo's eyes, and neither spoke for a long time; it seemed like forever. He could see no lies in the younger man's gaze; only truth and a deep, burning love for his children and his wife.

"I know Michio and Raye can't be together right now, because of their power. But we'll find a way. I know we will."

Finally, Byakuya spoke.

"Very well. Where is Raye now?"

"Ah ... with my dad. He said he could keep her for a few days if I wanted to spend time here, but I have a feeling that Rukia is going to want to see her _now_, not later."

"And I have a feeling you're right," Byakuya said, the closest thing to a smile on his face. "For once."

Ichigo glared, but it was half-hearted as they walked back inside. As soon as he stepped into the door, both children grabbed happily onto his legs. Ichigo looked up at Rukia, who was still overwhelmed with emotions. The tears were slowly floating down her face as he walked closer and gently wrapped his arms around her. She collapsed in his arms and laid her head on his chest, trying to get her emotions under control.

"I'm so glad you're home."

_Home._

After a pause, Ichigo whispered into Rukia's ear, "Rukia, wanna see Raye?"

Rukia looked up sharply, her gaze unbelieving.

"R-really? I can?"

"I can, too!" Michio said, bouncing up and down; no one noticed that Byakuya had walked out of the room, hauling Renji with him ... forcefully.

"Sorry, buddy; you and Raye can't meet in person yet."

"Oh." Michio looked sad. "When?"

"As soon as we find a way."

Michio stood there, his bare feet moving back and forth in the soft, shaggy carpet. He finally sighed, "All right. I _suppose_ it's alright if you and mommy go see Raye without me. I'll stay here."

He fell onto the floor and crossed his arms over his chest, his bottom lip sticking out as he pouted. Anyame dropped down on the floor beside him and mimicked exactly what he was doing. Rukia laughed, wiping tears from her eyes as she watched Michio and Anyame both pout. Anyame's hair was a mess, sticking up in all directions, and Michio's orange hair was spiking more than usual.

"Why, thank you, Michio."

"Welcome, mommy!"

Ichigo laughed and Rukia smiled.

He still couldn't believe this was all happening. They weren't acting like he thought they would. Given, Michio was clinging to him a lot, but what was to be expected? But the fact that he was with Rukia and Michio ... and his baby girl ... he loved them so much. Every time he looked into Rukia's eyes, he felt his heart swelling. He never wanted to leave her side again.

"We'll find a way," he said suddenly. "I promise we'll find a way for us _all _to be a family. Raye and Michio and Anyame, and you and me ... we'll be together."

"I love you, Ichigo."

"Love you, too, Rukia."

She was still in his arms, and when she finally pulled back, she smiled up at him, saying, "Can I see my little girl now?"

Ichigo nodded, letting his fingers dance over her cheek before he spoke. "I'll go see about Renji or Byakuya watchin' Michio ... and Anyame?"

It was more of a question than a statement.

"And Anyame. We don't know how her and Raye's Reiatsu will flare if they're around each other."

"Alright."

Twenty minutes later, Ichigo and Rukia were standing beside the gate, two small, black butterflies hovering over them and Michio and Anyame waving happily. Anyame was trying to stand on her feet, but she kept wavering and Michio would have to reach out and steady her.

"I'll be back soon, I promise Michio, Anyame," Rukia said, kissing them both on the forehead before standing to her feet and taking Ichigo's hand in hers.

Before they walked through, Ichigo paused and sighed. Rukia turned to face him.

"Is something wrong?"

"No ... I just don't want to leave Michio and my little girl so soon ... I feel like it's happening all over again. Like I'm leaving you all behind."

"We'll be back, Ichigo."

"I know."

He smiled at her and then turned back to the gate, waving once more to his children as they were watched over by their strict uncle.

Then, they stepped through. Rukia closed her eyes, letting the sensations take over her as they were guided through the gate by the Hell Butterflies.

Before she knew it, they were on the other side. She looked around, the neighborhood familiar. It was Ichigo's neighborhood; his old one, at least. He lived in his own small house with Raye, not unlike the one they had all shared before.

"She wants to meet you more than anything," Ichigo said, making sure to hold her hand tightly in his as they walked along. Her eyes eagerly scanned the streets, taking in all the sights she had missed to badly. "She wants to meet mommy so much."

"I thought she was dead for the longest time ... my baby girl ... I want to see her so badly, Ichigo. You have no idea how many tears I cried for you and her ... "

"I never wanted you to cry for me, Rukia," Ichigo said softly, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as they walked along; he could feel her pace quickening.

"How could I not? I love you so much, Ichigo. I could cry a million tears and not be through."

"Rukia ... "

Rukia smiled a little and pulled on Ichigo's hand, her feet moving faster.

"C'mon, I want to see my little girl."

"Ah."

Ichigo nodded and they continued to walk in silence. When they reached Ichigo's old house, Rukia paused, biting her lip. When Ichigo turned to look at her, he could see the tears in her eyes as she looked inside the window to where little Raye was running around in circles inside. He smiled widely.

"Let's go in."

"What if ... what if she doesn't remember me?" Rukia asked fearfully, suddenly not sure about what she was doing. It had only been hours since she had seen her husband for the first time in years ...

"She does."

"How? I ... she was so small ... "

Neither spoke for a minute, then suddenly Rukia pulled her hand from Ichigo's, tears slowly making their way down her face. Her voice was shaking as she spoke, and Ichigo could feel the fear building inside of him.

"Why did you come back?"

Her words were betraying her feelings, and though her heart was telling her otherwise, her mind was telling her to leave, to leave Ichigo and her daughter before they had to leave _her_ again. To spare herself the pain. Seeing her little girl, so happy, and knowing she would have to leave and break her tiny heart again ... she couldn't do it.

"Why? Because I love you Rukia," Ichigo said simply, his stomach twisting at the look in her eyes.

"You'll just have to leave again ... you'll leave again, and leave me and Anyame and Michio alone. You'll leave again, just like before."

She was crying deeply now. Ichigo reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. Why now? Why was she acting like this _now_? Why not before, when they were all back in Soul Society? Why now, when they were so close?

"I won't-"

"You'll have to!" Her voice rose slightly, but Ichigo could sense no anger in her voice; only pain. Deep, raw pain. She _truly_ thought he was leaving again ...

"No, I won't." His voice was firm. "I'll find a way for us all to be a family again. I will."

"There is no way, Ichigo." She reached up a shaky hand to brush away her tears as she shrugged his hand off of her shoulder. "If there was a way, would this have happened in the first place? I love you Ichigo, more than _anything_ in the world, and I want to be a family. For you to hold Anyame on your lap and read to her, and to teach Michio how to play these ... these games you play on Earth. But if you have to leave again, then go now. I don't want you to hurt Michio and Anyame. They're hurt enough already."

Her heart was breaking as she spoke the words. But he _would_ have to leave, and she knew it. He would leave her and their children alone when the time came that they could no longer carry on, and he would take her heart with him again. The only way to prevent that pain, for her _and_ her children, was to block her heart from him now.

"No, I won't leave Rukia. I'm here to stay, I promise. Even if I live on Earth and you in Soul Society, we can still see each other. We can still be a family, even if we are a broken one. Please, don't do this."

He knew. He knew _she_ was leaving _him_ this time.

"Please, don't go."

"I waited so long. I cried every single day, and I wanted _nothing_ more for you to come back. But I saw the look in Michio's eyes ... he wants a father, Ichigo, and how can you do that if you're never there? You can't be the father he deserves."

Her voice seemed to be speaking on her own. Her heart and mind was screaming at her to shut up and to just take the time with Ichigo that she could, but she couldn't seem to stop the words as they came pouring out.

Ichigo could feel his heart breaking. He had never thought this would happen ... no, he'd believed that Rukia would take him back. But it was true ... if there wasn't a way, then he would only hurt them.

"We can travel back and forth. I can go to the Soul Society and you can come here," he said, hoping the desperation in his voice wasn't clear to her.

"I made sure Anyame knew that you were her father, and not Renji, the man who she first spoke those words to, but was it right? Was it right to make her believe that a man who can't always be there for her is her father?"

"Renji ... ?"

"When you came back, and held me in your arms, I thought it was a dream. The most wonderful dream I had ever had. But now ... it's so real." She was yelling at herself to shut up again. "It's so real ... "

Ichigo reached out and took her into his arms, holding tightly onto her and not letting go. She began to cry again as her hands came up to grip his shirt.

"Don't leave me, Rukia, please, don't go."

* * *

Yikes! Sorry it took so long to get this out! — **O.O** — But anyway, what do you think? Should Rukia leave? Should she stay? Should I just go hide and never come out? ... This story is like ... an **emotional train wreck**.

**_Please Review!_**


	12. Take Me Back

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the characters. Thanks to **CrystalRaindrop007** for Beta'ing!

* * *

_"Will you take me back?" Ichigo asked slowly, his intense amber eyes staring into hers. _

* * *

**Whispers In Your Heart — XII**

**_April 22nd, 2007 — 4:27 PM_**

_Rukia smiled as Raye's laughter filled the air. _

_The little girl was sitting on Rukia's shoulders, her tiny fingers tangled in her hair as she held on. Rukia's own hands held tightly to Raye's small legs as they walked toward the training ground; Ichigo had taken Michio with him that morning to watch daddy train from afar. _

_"Mommy! Come, come!"_

_Said little, hyper boy ran up to Rukia and grabbed onto her Shinigami robes, trying to pull her toward the fenced-in cliff were he was watching Ichigo and Renji below. Rukia came over and put Raye on the ground beside Unohana, who had taken a few hours off of work to watch the little two-year-old and make sure he didn't get into trouble while watching his dad and Renji._

_"Hello, Rukia-san," she greeted, smiling as Raye toddled over to Michio. Her attention was on bothering her brother, not watching her father._

_"Hello, Unohana-san. Has Michio caused any trouble?"_

_"No, he's been fine. More importantly, how do _you_ feel?"_

_"Um ... I felt really dizzy this morning," Rukia explained, sitting down on the ground as Michio chased Raye around for putting dirt in his hair. "And I was throwing up, too."_

_"It really does sound like pregnancy, huh?"_

_"Yeah, but you said that I'm not pregnant."_

_"I know I did. And you're not."_

_There was silence as the two continued dividing their attention between the fights going on below and the children running around. Ichigo had just gained the upper-hand in the fight, and was about to pin Renji down. Byakuya stepped in and stopped them before any real damage was done, and Renji came away panting as Ichigo smiled._

_Ichigo caught sight of Rukia up above and smiled, waving. She waved back and watched as Byakuya turned to Ichigo and said something. Rukia couldn't hear, but she was pretty certain what it was as suddenly Renji used shun-po and was standing beside her as Byakuya took out his Zanpaktou and Ichigo did the same._

_"Oh, boy. This is gonna be good. Though not as good as them when they're _not_ fighting under controlled conditions," Renji said, laughing. Then, seeing the slightly worried look on Rukia's face, he said, "Don't worry. They'll be fine. Besides, you and Raye and Unohana can heal them if they get out of control."_

_"I know," Rukia said, smiling and running her fingers through Raye's hair as the little girl walked over and sat on her lap, her fingers going into her mouth. "He'll be fine. They both will."_

_"Yeah ... just watch. It get's interesting. Though Ichigo almost always wins."_

_Rukia smirked but didn't reply. _

_Soon, the fight finished and Ichigo did win. Rukia stood to her feet and, putting Raye back on her shoulders, began walking down to where Ichigo was; she knew training was over for the day when Byakuya and Ichigo fought._

_Michio knew, too, because he began running down, squealing happily and picking himself off the ground when he would fall every few steps. Renji finally took pity on the little guy and picked him up and carried him. Ichigo took Michio as soon as they reached him._

_"Are you alright, Kuchiki-san?" Unohana asked, using shun-po to land beside Byakuya in seconds. The noble nodded, but anyone could see he was a little dizzy from the gash on his forehead. Unohana smiled. "Here, let me heal that. Men are so stubborn."_

_Rukia laughed gently as she began to heal the random cuts and bruises all over Ichigo's chest and face. _

_"Thanks."_

_"You're welcome."_

_"Dada! Dada! Dada!" Michio ran up to Ichigo and began jumping up and down. _

_Ichigo frowned however, and took Rukia's hand in his to stop her healing him._

_"Ichigo ... ?"_

_"Rukia, you don't look so good."_

_It was all he needed to say for Unohana to spin around, a worried look on her face._

_"Rukia?" There was concern in the older woman's voice._

_As soon as the name was out of her mouth, Rukia's eyes began to flutter closed and her whole body went limp. _

_"Rukia!"_

_Ichigo caught her before she had a chance to fall to the ground, and Unohana bent down beside the two, anxiously looking Rukia over. _

_"She's fainted. Carry her to the fourth division quarters for me."_

_"R-right."_

_Ichigo, Rukia and Unohana disappeared, Ichigo yelling at Renji to please watch the twins for him._

_Byakuya looked grim as Renji looked confused. Nothing was spoken between them as Michio and Raye sat quietly on the ground, as if sensing something was wrong._

_Byakuya spoke carefully and quietly. "It's getting serious."_

_

* * *

_

**July 18th, 2009 - 7:16 AM**

"Don't leave me, Rukia, please, don't go."

Ichigo could feel his heart breaking into a million pieces as Rukia pulled back from his embrace. She wiped her eyes as Ichigo reached out to place his hand on her shoulder again. She didn't shrug it off.

"Rukia ... "

"Are you going to have to leave, Ichigo? Please ... answer me."

"I ... " Ichigo paused and lowered his gaze. "I don't know."

Silence was thick in the air as the wind blew around them. Ichigo's hand still rested on Rukia's shoulder, but she wouldn't turn around to face him. The silence was cut off by a sharp gasp only feet away from them. Rukia turned around to look into the window of Ichigo's old house. Raye was sitting on the couch, her tiny hands pressed hard against the window and her bare knees perched on the cushions.

Her eyes were wide with happiness as she turned away from the window. Rukia let out a gasp of her own as the door opened and suddenly Raye was holding tightly onto Rukia's leg.

"Mommy!"

Tears were spilling from her eyes as her tiny hands grasped Rukia's Shinigami robes as tightly as she could manage. Rukia bent down beside the little girl, her hand shaking as she gently hugged her, hesitant, as if not sure she had the right to touch her little girl after those years of not being there for her.

"Mommy ... you came back."

It was in those seconds, as Ichigo bent down beside them both and wrapped them in his strong embrace, that he knew she wouldn't leave.

Ichigo looked up to see his dad in the doorway to the house, smiling gently as he watched them. Ichigo smiled back, closing his eyes as he rested his cheek on Rukia's soft, black hair.

"Just give me the time I can be with you, Rukia. Give me our family, for as long as we can be together. Please."

She didn't answer verbally. She shook in his arms as she cried softly. Raye didn't move an inch as Rukia hugged her, and the only thing that could have made that moment more perfect would have been that Michio and Anyame could have been there.

Rukia would stay with him.

* * *

"Mommy, you have to meet my bunny, Cookies! Oh, oh, and I want to show you my teddy. I named him FuzzBallz!"

Raye continued to go on and on as Rukia watched her, a happy glow in her eyes as the little girl produced a fluffy, pink teddy bear from her over-night bag she had packed for while she was at her grandfathers.

"Daddy, you told me that when mommy came back, you'd get her a bunny, too!"

Rukia's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, I did, didn't I?"

Raye nodded and jumped up onto the couch that Ichigo and Rukia were currently sitting on. Rukia had curled her small body into Ichigo's side and he had an arm around her shoulders. He could tell that she was still tense, but being with Raye seemed to have loosened some of her doubts.

"Mommy, why didn't Michio come, too?"

Rukia smiled sadly and ruffled Raye's hair as the little girl sat in her lap. Raye's question brought back all of her fears.

"It's complicated, baby, but it might be a while before you and Michio can play together again."

"Oh."

Raye looked sad, but then her eyes lit up again as she turned to face Rukia.

"Mommy, wanna cookie? Me and Aunt Yuzu made 'em!"

"I would love a cookie."

Raye jumped off of the couch and took Rukia's hand, trying to pull her up from the couch, too. Ichigo smiled and turned to his dad, who was sitting across the room; he'd been watching silently while Raye and Rukia had caught up a little.

"How's everyone doing?" Isshin asked, smiling as Ichigo leaned up against the wall beside him, his amber eyes straying to Rukia, who was in the kitchen. Ichigo answered quietly as he continued to watch his wife and daughter. Raye was showing Rukia how they had made the cookies, and Yuzu's eyes were glowing happily as she suggested that they _all_ make some cookies together.

"That includes you, Ichi-nii!" she yelled into the living room.

"What about meeee?" Isshin pouted. Ichigo slugged him in the shoulder and smirked.

"You don't count."

Isshin pouted, but slumped his way into the kitchen, anyway.

The cookie making began, and when a flour fight broke out between Rukia and Ichigo, Yuzu didn't even complain. Half of her flour was being used and Rukia was squealing happily as Ichigo pelted her with flour again and again. The fight had broken out when Rukia had slipped on the floor and Ichigo had reached out to catch her. She'd had a cup of flour in her hands, and she had smiled happily before throwing it in Ichigo's surprised face.

"I win!" Ichigo announced happily, watching as Rukia tried to shake some of the mass amounts of flour out of her hair.

Smirking, Rukia grabbed the remains of the flour and threw it all in Ichigo's face. Amber eyes were wide as flour rained all around his body. Raye and Isshin were on the floor laughing deeply and Yuzu was sighing, trying to figure out how much flour she could salvage from Ichigo's hair, or if she would have to go to the store for more.

"_I _win!"

Ichigo grumbled something under his breath and Rukia laughed.

"Michio would love this. When we make pancakes, he and Anyame are always throwing flour at each other."

"Anyame?" Yuzu asked, confused. Isshin and Raye were still laughing too hard to have caught what Rukia had said. Rukia smiled softly at Yuzu.

"My baby girl."

"Is Ichi-nii ... "

Rukia nodded. "Yeah. Ichigo's her father. I was only a few weeks pregnant with her when he ... when he left."

"Oh ... and on another note ... "

"Yes?" Rukia asked when Yuzu trailed off.

"We need more flour."

Rukia laughed.

"Oops?"

* * *

Later that night, after sending a message to the Soul Society and asking Byakuya, directly, if Rukia could stay the night with Ichigo and Raye, Ichigo regained the control of his old room while Raye slept in with Yuzu.

Rukia came out of the shower with her hair wet and a towel wrapped tightly around her small body. Ichigo was sitting in bed, reading a book. He was wearing a pair of green pajama pants and no shirt. Rukia stopped half-way out the door of the bathroom, not sure if she should walk out into the room only wearing her soft, white towel.

Ichigo hadn't noticed her yet, and as she took a step inside the room, she could feel her hands shaking. Why was she acting like this? He was her husband. But ... it had been years since he had seen her.

"Hey, Rukia?"

Rukia's gaze jumped to meet his eyes as he stared into her face; he was trying to keep his eyes from going lower, as he knew it might make her nervous.

"I-Ichigo?"

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing, I just ... "

Ichigo smiled and stood up from the bed, walking over and placing his hand on her face. She closed her eyes and felt some of the nervousness melting from her body. He leaned down and kissed her briefly, pulling back as he asked,

"Is this alright?" he asked, his hand falling from her face and to her shoulder to finger the towel. Rukia closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.

"Yes."

Ichigo smiled and let the towel drop from her slim body and pool around her feet. His eyes were still focused on hers, not breaking their gaze. She was still nervous.

"I love you, Rukia. I want to be a family with you, Raye, Michio and Anyame. I want us all to be together. We will find a way, I promise ... but for now, please take us back. I can't promise I'll always be there, but I will always come back. I'll never leave you alone."

Ichigo gently kissed her, then let his lips slowly trail to her neck. She sighed in contentment and her hand shakily reached forward to tangle in his hair as he kissed her again.

"I love you, Rukia."

That night, Ichigo showed her exactly how much he loved her with both words and actions. After making love, when they laid together silently, Rukia slowly let her fingers trace the scars on his chest.

She smiled.

"Will you take me back?" Ichigo asked slowly, his intense amber eyes staring into hers. Rukia snuggled closer to his warm body as a slight draft swept in through the open window.

"I love you, Ichigo, and I want you with me forever. But I'll take whatever time we can have together. I want you to be a part of me and Michio and Anyame's life. I want them to know their sister and father."

"We'll find a way."

"Will we really?"

"Yeah."

Ichigo smiled and kissed her on the forehead before pulling a thick blanket over both his and Rukia's bare bodies.

"I still can't believe that the first time we met, I kicked you and you shoved a sword through my heart ... and now, here we are, years later. I can't imagine my life without you, Rukia. I love you more than I thought was ever possible."

"Sorry I almost left."

Her eyes didn't meet his, but he smiled and buried his face in her hair.

"Thank you ... for staying."

* * *

Well ... _not_ a cliffhanger! Yay for me! Anyway, what did you think? Please, tell me your thoughts, and sorry for taking forever in updating! Oh, and though Rukia and Ichigo_ might _seem OOC ... well, it's how I imagine they would act if they were married, had kids, and then met up again after being apart for years. Like always, I'll ignore flames.

**_Please Review!_**


	13. Promises

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the characters. Thanks to **CrystalRaindrop007** for Beta'ing!

* * *

_"I don't want you to go, mommy! I want you to live with me forever."_

* * *

**Whispers In Your Heart — XIII**

**_April 22nd, 2007 — 6:30 PM_**

_"When is she waking up?"_

_Ichigo was sitting in a chair beside Rukia's bed, holding Raye tightly in his arms while he watched Michio's chest move up and down as he slept; he was laying on the bed beside Rukia, who's eyes were closed in what seemed a peaceful sleep. _

_Unohana smiled softly at Ichigo, who wouldn't take his eyes off of Rukia or his son._

_"It isn't a coma. She just seems to be sleeping. It could be minutes, hours, maybe a day or two. If she's asleep past that, despite all of my medical knowledge telling me not to, I'll have to say she's in a coma."_

_"Will that happen?"_

_Worry laced Ichigo's voice as he gently ran his fingers through Raye's hair. She yawned sleepily and stuffed her three middle fingers in her mouth as her bright blue eyes slipped closed._

_"I don't think so."_

_There was silence in the room until Raye's breathing slowed and she fell asleep._

_"She never sleeps peacefully unless Rukia is there to kiss her goodnight. When she's away from mommy, she'll just cry herself to sleep."_

_He was talking about Raye._

_Unohana smiled again and pulled up a chair beside Ichigo. He finally took his eyes off his wife and son and spared the doctor a glance._

_"Raye seems really attached to Rukia, doesn't she?" Unohana asked._

_Ichigo finally smiled. "Yeah. She likes Rukia to hold her, too. When she's hurt, Rukia will always kiss it better and Raye will stop crying, as if the pain has really gone away."_

_"She's a healer. I bet the pain really does go away when Rukia kisses Raye's wounds."_

_Ichigo looked surprised at this thought._

_"Huh. Guess so."_

_More silence, which was only broken several hours later when Byakuya came again to check up on his sister. He and Unohana stood in the doorway, not moving. They spoke together in low tones, and there was a grim look on Byakuya's face._

_"I think it's almost time."_

_"Does this really have to happen?"_

_"Soon. We can try a few more methods, but I am afraid that the final outcome will be the same ... Rukia has to believe Ichigo dead in order to break the connection between them."_

_Byakuya spoke the words slowly and carefully. Unohana's eyes grew sad; she'd known this might happen for weeks, even months, and yet it still broke her heart that such a loving family was going to have to be broken apart. A father and mother who loved their children more than anything. Who loved each other more than the world._

_And they had to be broken apart, forced to live the lives they had never wanted to go back to. _

_Finally, Ichigo stood up from his seat, Raye still in his arms, and ran a hand over his tired eyes. He turned to Unohana._

_"I'm gonna go take a walk to clear my head. Can you ... can you watch the twins for a bit?"_

_Unohana nodded, taking the sleeping girl from Ichigo._

_"They'll be fine."_

_"Thanks."_

_He walked out of the room after kissing Rukia and the twins each on the forehead and stuffed his hands in his pockets, his head low._

_Unohana turned to the sixth division Captain again._

_"Should we tell him? When we first brought Rukia in, he was worried she was dying. She's been terribly weak for almost a month now, and her passing out has increased his worry ten-fold, I think."_

_"No. He can't know."_

_His words were sure._

_"Alright."_

_"Soon. I have some things to clear up, but it has to happen soon. He has to leave."_

* * *

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**_July 20th, 2009 - 3:22 PM_**

Ichigo smiled as he stood at the gate; he was going back to Soul Society with Rukia to say goodbye to Anyame, Michio and her, but then he would have to come back to Earth. Rukia was planning to visit again soon, but until they could find a permanent solution, visits and messages were going to have to be good enough.

"I don't want mommy to leave!" Raye cried, hugging tightly to Rukia's leg. Rukia smiled sadly and bent down beside Raye, taking the small girl into her arms.

"I'll back, baby. I'll be back soon to visit."

"I don't want you to go, mommy! I want you to live with me forever."

Ichigo leaned up against the wall, smiling, his hands in his pockets, as he watched Rukia and Raye. The two looked so much alike; Raye had Rukia's figure and her hair; the orange had almost faded completely out.

"C'mon, Rukia, Ichigo, it's time to go."

Urahara had opened the gate for them and was waiting patiently for Rukia and Raye to say their good-byes. He and Yoruichi were going to watch the little girl until Ichigo came back after dropping Rukia off, because Raye had wanted to be with her parents as long as possible.

"OK, it's time for me to go, Raye, but I promise I'll be back."

"Promise? I never got to show you Cookies."

Rukia laughed.

"Yeah, and daddy forgot to buy me a bunny."

Raye smiled a little, wiping at her tears with a shaking hand.

"R-right. Bye bye, mommy! I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetie."

Another hug was shared before Rukia stood to her feet and walked over to Ichigo's side, glancing back at her daughter with tears in her own eyes as they walked through. Yoruichi held Raye as the gate shut down, then she smiled, turning to face the little girl.

"Wanna annoy Uncle Kisuke for a while, sweetie?"

Raye nodded, wiping her tears again as Yoruichi picked her up in her arms. Raye's small head was laid on the older woman's shoulder, and she was sure that the little girl didn't want to annoy Urahara much, although looking through Urahara's old 'Blackmail' scrapbook of Ichigo and Rukia would make her happy.

As long as she excluded the ... _intimate_ ... pictures that she had _no idea_ how Urahara had managed to take.

* * *

As soon as they stepped through the gate, Ichigo was sure that he wasn't leaving Soul Society for a while.

Buildings stood in ruins and women and children ran around, screaming as the clashing of swords filled the air. Rukia stood in fear as she looked around. Ichigo's Zanpaktou was taken out immediately as he surveyed the damage.

"Michio and Anyame."

It was all he spoke, but as soon as the names were out of his mouth, Rukia began running. Ichigo caught up with her and placed her on his back as he began using Shun-po to follow the Reiatsu that he had spent years memorizing; since he couldn't be close to Rukia and Michio, he had memorized their Reiatsu so he could make sure, every day, that they were fine. He hadn't known about Anyame at that point, so he had to follow Michio's and hope that he was protecting his baby sister.

As soon as they slid to a halt outside of the small house that Ichigo had traced Michio to, he helped Rukia of his back and hurridely walked in. Unohana was running around the room, apparently treating the wounded. Her assistant was helping, and Ichigo even recognized Hanataro.

When he saw Michio in the corner of the room, tears in his eyes and his arms holding his baby sister tightly, he felt as though his heart swelled with relief. Rukia was running over to the two children, and Ichigo had to fight himself not to do the same; he had to find out what was happening.

"Unohana-san, what the hell is going on?" Ichigo asked.

She turned around to see him, but didn't stop moving around the room quickly, tending to hurt people.

"We were attacked this morning, The worst of it is over; they couldn't get close to the children."

"Which children?"

He was afraid to ask.

"Michio and Anyame."

"Who was it?"

He was fighting to remain calm, but his hand was shaking on his Zanpaktou; he wanted to go out and fight whoever it was that wanted to hurt his kids.

He wanted to kill them.

"Sosuke Aizen."

Somehow, he'd known it.

"Can I help fight?" Ichigo asked. But he knew the answer to that, too. The fight was over. For now. Aizen and his Arrancar had left already. They were no longer there.

"The fight is over. Now, all that is left is to help the injured as best as we can. Ichigo-kun, please, ask Rukia to help us. She can heal."

"Right."

Ichigo was still shaking on the inside; who would have hurt, killed, so many people trying to get to his children? Even Aizen ... he couldn't imagine it.

He walked over and bent down beside Rukia, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at him, tears in her eyes as her fingers worked, trying to wipe the dried blood off of Michio's face. The little boy had been crying and was still gripping Anayme so hard that Rukia couldn't take the baby girl out of his arms.

Anyame was simply sucking her fingers, her eyes wide and blinking. No tears had been shed, but she'd seen what had happened.

"They saw it, Ichigo. Michio and Anyame saw people dying in front of them before Renji brought them here. Oh, God! Renji! Is he alright?"

Fear had taken over her senses, and Ichigo didn't know how to answer, but a weak, "Ah, shaddup. I'm fine," from across the room made her gaze turn. When she saw Renji sitting up against the wall, his arm wrapped tightly in a sling and dried blood on his face, she relaxed a little, smiling.

"Rukia, they need your help healing the injured. I'll watch Michio and Anyame," Ichigo said gently.

"Nah, that's my job," Renji said. "I've been keepin' an eye on 'em. Ichigo, you need to get out there and help search. There are twenty-three people still missing. Among them, Ikkaku and ... and your brother, Rukia."

Fear once again took over Rukia's gaze as she stood numbly to her feet. Ichigo stood, too, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Help them Rukia, I'll find your brother. I promise."

"A-Alright."

Her hands were shaking as she joined the other healers in their attempt to heal the worst wounded and to wrap up the less injured ones. Ichigo, with one last look around the crowded room, used Shun-po to exit.

He had a promise to keep.

* * *

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**_July 22nd, 2009 - 9:52 AM (Two days later)_**

Ichigo was breathing hard as he walked into the forth divisions quarters. A man rested on his shoulders, both of their blood slowly falling down Ichigo's face as he slumped down on the floor. The man, Kuchiki Byakuya, slid off of his shoulders and fell to the floor as Ichigo pressed his hand hard against his stomach, doubling over in pain, trying in vain to stop the bleeding.

"Ichigo! Nii-sama!"

It was Rukia. Her violet eyes were wide in fear and her hands were shaking as she fell down beside her brother and husband. Ichigo smiled.

"I kept my promise."

She reached out a shaky hand and pressed it to his stomach, the familiar green glow surrounding his whole mid-section. She called out for Unohana, as she couldn't help both her brother and Ichigo at once.

"Wha-"

Unohana's own eyes went wide as she saw the mass amounts of blood surrounding the two men. Rukia's whole body was shaking as she tried desperately to help Ichigo, but he was on the verge of death.

_He had a promise to keep to Rukia. He would find her brother, and he'd bring him back. _

_Ichigo winced as a branch hit into his face, leaving a small slash on his face. Blood trickled down, but he just reached up and wiped it away, not even glancing at the blood as he wiped his hand off on his robes._

_"Where the freakin' hell is Byakuya?" he growled to himself. Despite hating his brother-in-law for the longest time, Ichigo had even learned, to some extent, to recognize his Reiatsu. And he couldn't sense it. Nothing._

Two men carefully moved Ichigo and Byakuya to beds in the middle of the room. Rukia followed her husband quickly, moving to heal him again as Unohana stared down at the pale, blank face of Kuchiki Byakuya. Her own face had gone slightly pale, and her hands were shaking as she began to heal him.

"What happened to you?"

Her voice was just above a whisper as her Reiatsu slowly flowed around them both.

_Ichigo paused and took a deep breath, looking around his surroundings. That stupid man ... he had promised Ichigo that he would protect Michio and Anyame. But how far would he have gone? _

_... All the way to Hueco Mundo?_

_Maybe. He wasn't in Soul Society. As much as Ichigo couldn't recognize most Reiatsu, he could find Byakuya if he wanted to._

_He'd promised Rukia ... like Byakuya had promised him. And Byakuya had kept his promise to keep Michio and Anyame safe, now he had to do his part and keep his promise to Rukia of finding Byakuya._

There was a fair amount of confusion, but Michio and Anyame, who were still silent after two days, having not spoken a word even to Rukia, sat watching on silently. Anyame had pulled herself out of Michio's grasp and was toddling back and forth between the hurt people, leaning down beside them and looking at them. She never spoke.

The injured men and woman would smile at her and she would smile back when she felt like it. Renji always followed, keeping _his _promise to Ichigo to watch his kids for him. He never got in Anyame's way; she needed to do what she was doing. Seeing all the people who would get better would help erase the memories of the men and women she had seen dying.

"Dada?"

Her small voice reached Renji and he shook his head.

"Your mommy is helping him right now. He hurt himself."

"Oh."

She continued to pace back and forth between the men and woman, her tiny feet padding almost silently on the floor.

Michio watched on; he did nothing.

He understood what had happened; she didn't. She would heal faster; he would remember the faces of the dying for years, and dream of them.

They would haunt him; she would be free of them.

_Ichigo moved silently through Hueco Mundo. He'd gotten in with Urahara's help; he'd made sure that Raye hadn't seen him while he was in the Urahara Shop. She didn't need to know what was going on._

_But he was here; Ichigo felt Byakuya's Reiatsu. _

_"Where the hell are you? Did you let yourself get caught? Or are ya hiding, dying silently somewhere? Damn!"_

_He continued to search. Surely the great Kuchiki hadn't been caught? No ... he couldn't have been._

_Nah. That stupid idiot was somewhere around here._

_And Ichigo was getting closer._

Minutes, hours had past. Rukia hadn't moved from her spot. Everyone in Soul Society was on high alert, and no one could relax. Michio and Anyame were constantly watched over by several high-ranked Captains and Vice-Captains. Renji watched them day and night, letting his wounds slowly heal.

It was as if they were expecting another attack any minute.

But what worried everyone most was this: Aizen had come to attack _Michio _and _Anyame_. Not Michio and Raye. What connection did Michio have with his baby sister, that would make one of the strongest, if not _the_ most strong, Shinigami want to come after them?

_Blood was everywhere. He had barely escaped with his life; at least he had kept his promise. He had Rukia's brother, and as unhappy as he was with the fact that the stupid noble seemed better off than him, he at least had his life._

_He'd met resistance on his way out; mot much, just a few Arrancar that realized that he didn't belong there. They would have been simple to deal with had he not had another body to carry._

_And as such, he'd taken a Zanpaktou to the stomach. Blood was all over his body and he could feel himself loosing strength fast._

_He had to hurry ... or he would die._

Unohana gazed down into the face of the man who seemed to have captured her, no matter how hard his heart was or how much he tried to keep people out.

Breathing in deeply and closing her eyes, she turned her head in Rukia's direction, her eyes fluttering open. The young Shinigami's own violet eyes were bright with tears as her hands shook; she was trying with everything she had to save the man she loved with all her heart. Unohana sighed.

"Is what I'm doing ... really any different?" she whispered.

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**NOTE: **Everything in italics was flashbacks. I decided to do Ichigo's searching for Byakuya in between flashes of what was happening in the present time. Everything _not _in flashbacks was present time, July 22nd, 2009.

Wow, how many people want to kill me for putting some ByakuyaXUnohana in there?

**_Please Review?_**


	14. Darkness Within

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the characters. Thanks to **CrystalRaindrop007** for Beta'ing! Some mentions of Hisana in this are AU!

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_"Daddy, if ya keep pacin' then you'll wear a hole in the floor and falls through," Michio said happily._

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**Whispers In Your Heart — XIV**

_**June 5th, 2007 — 3:03 PM**_

_"Unohana-san, will you please not tell Ichigo that I passed out again?" Rukia asked worriedly, fingering her hair as she let her gaze drop to the ground. The doctor smiled and nodded._

_"_You_ tell him sometime, though. He needs to know; he's worried about you."_

_"Ah."_

_"Also ... I'd like to take some blood for tests. When ... when Hisana-san died, her symptoms were much like yours."_

_"Unohana-san, you ... knew my sister?" Rukia asked, her violet eyes wide. Unohana nodded._

_"I was the one who treated her while she was sick. You're ... showing symptoms a lot like hers. I didn't want to tell you this yet, but it could be the same thing."_

_"What happened to her?" Rukia asked, her voice shaking slightly._

_"She became very weak and seemed sick much of the time. To this day, I am still unsure of what killed her, but I have some theories. Let me run some tests; there is a way I can know, alright?"_

_"Alright."_

_Rukia had managed to get her voice back under control as Unohana began to take the blood she would need for her tests._

_"What was she like?"_

_Rukia's soft, quiet question took Unohana by surprise, but she answered, forcing a small smile. "She was very kind. Beautiful, loving, strong ... a lot like you, Rukia-san."_

_Rukia smiled as Unohana finished. She turned around to the doctor._

_"Thank you, for telling me about my sister."_

_"You're welcome. I'll get back to you soon on the test results. Just ... don't worry about it, alright? And don't do anything that takes up too much energy, especially sexual intercourse. Take it easy until I have your results back."_

_Rukia nodded; she didn't trust her voice. How could she not worry? What if she was dying? What about her children, and Ichigo? Would they be able to move on without her? In time, they could, but she wanted to be there for them. She didn't want Michio or Raye to lose their mother, like Ichigo had lost his. _

_Shaking such thoughts from her head, Rukia jumped off the bed and walked out. She needed to go pick up her children from her brother's house. She was afraid, yes, but that couldn't stop her from being a mother or a wife._

_**Later That Day ...**_

_After his sister had picked up the twins, Byakuya left to talk to Unohana; he needed to know why his sister looked so sad. What was wrong?_

_He found the doctor in the forth division's quarters, healing a small boy's arm. The little kid had shaggy black hair and was pouting until his arm was better. Then, he jumped up, hugged Unohana, and ran out of the room._

_"What is wrong with Rukia?"_

_Unohana turned around, clearly surprised, but then relaxed a little._

_"I should explain. It's a long story, and ... there is something else I need to tell you. But first I have a question; Kuchiki-san ... was Hisana-san a Shinigami?" She was sure she knew, she just needed him to confirm it._

_Byakuya froze up at the question and his eyes held no emotion as he said, "No."_

_Unohana nodded; that was what she had been afraid of._

_"We know that Rukia's Reiatsu levels are low, and Ichigo's strong presence seems to be the reason. I also know that Kurosaki Isshin, when he left Soul Society, married a human, and together, they had a child. Much like Ichigo and Rukia had Michio and Raye. Isshin and the human, Masaki, had the same connection as Rukia has with Ichigo; it was broken by Isshin believing that Masaki was dead at some point. Do you see any connections here?"_

_Byakuya simply shook his head._

_Unohana mentally prepared herself for what she was about to tell the man in front of her. But now, she was almost one-hundred percent sure._

_"Isshin, a Shinigami, married a human, and they had the same link as Ichigo and Rukia: Masaki was dying because of Isshin's Reiatsu. Rukia and Ichigo have the sane connection, and I believe that Rukia is dying. The tests that I'm running will tell me for sure. And last of all ... _Hisana_ was a human, and you a Shinigami. I believe that you shared the same link as Isshin and Masaki, and as Rukia and Ichigo, and that you were, unknowingly, taking Hisana's life force from her. The only difference is, that Hisana died long before I could tell what was going on. But now that we know what has been happening, we can save Rukia."_

_Byakuya was silent._

_"I'm sorry that I had to tell you this, Kuchiki-san, but ... "_

_"Are you telling me that I am responsible for Hisana's death?"_

_His voice was emotionless again, and his eyes held nothing. Unohana nodded._

_"I believe, but I can't know for sure. Back then, I didn't have any idea of what I know now."_

_Silence filled the room. Although his eyes held nothing, his Reiatsu had begun to rise, and Unohana felt nervous._

_"Anything else?" Byakuya asked._

_It was a sign that he did not wish to continue with their conversation. Unohana's eyes lowered to the ground. He would blame himself forever, now that she had told him._

_"Yes. In order to break their connection, Rukia has to believe Ichigo dead. Also ... Michio and Raye, whenever they are around each other, their power is un-controlable. I think it best that Ichigo leave to the human world as soon as possible ... and that either Raye or Michio leave with him. We will tell Rukia that both died on a trip to Earth. The shock and devastation should snap their connection."_

_"Very well."_

_He knew this was going to happen, that Rukia would have to believe Ichigo dead._

_"Also ... "_

_Unohana paused, cutting herself off as she watched the sixth division captain. He was more calm now._

_"What is it?"_

_"... Nothing. Nothing important. Sorry to have bothered you. You should speak to Ichigo, Kuchiki-san."_

_He turned and walked out of the room as Unohana used Shunpo to move quickly from the forth division's quarters. Soon, she found herself outside the door of Rukia and Ichigo's small house. She knocked, and was greeted with a scream of "Moooooommy!" from Raye, who was toddling around the room. _

_The little girl fell on her diapered butt and began to cry as Rukia walked into the room, smiling tiredly as she picked up the baby girl._

_"Hello, Unohana-san. Come in."_

_"I have the results, Rukia."_

_She noticed the brief flash of fear in Rukia's eyes._

_"Y-yes, you'd better sit down for a minute while I put Raye down for her nap. Michio's already sleeping ... "_

_Unohana nodded and sat down, moving a pink, fluffy, bunny out of her way. She had already decided what she would tell Rukia; since Ichigo was leaving, she wouldn't be sick anymore ... so there was no reason to tell the young woman that she was, indeed, dying._

_When Rukia came back into the room, she sat down across from Unohana, a scared look on her face._

_"Well, I have good news, and some other news that I _hope_ is good."_

_Rukia seemed to relax a little as Unohana took a deep breath._

_"You're fine. The tests I ran ... it's not what was wrong with Hisana-san. And, I also know why you're so sick."_

_"Why?"_

_She hated telling Rukia this right before Ichigo left. But if Ichigo was to 'die', Rukia needed something to keep her going, something to give her hope._

_"Rukia, you're pregnant."_

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**_July 23rd, 2009 — 2:31 PM_**

"R-Rukia ... "

Unohana looked up from the chart she was going over and smiled when she saw Ichigo's amber eyes open sleepily. His head turned her way, shakily, as he asked again,

"Where's Rukia?"

"Let me get her."

Putting down the chart, Unohana walked to the other side of the room where Rukia was playing with Michio and Anyame. The two were having some sort of tea party, but Anyame was making a mess more than she was playing.

"Rukia?"

"Hm?" Rukia smiled softly as she ruffled Anyame's soft hair. The girl's tiny hands came up to try and rub it back in place, a frown on her little pink lips.

"Ichigo's awake."

"Dada!" Anyame yelled, giggling as she began to toddle over to Ichigo's bed. Rukia stood to her feet and took Michio's hand before following her bouncy baby. Anyame was still giggling, jumping up and down, trying to get up on Ichigo's bed.

Rukia lifted her and put her in Ichigo's arms as soon as he had pulled himself into a sitting position.

Questioning amber eyes stared into Rukia's as Ichigo asked, "You alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. So are the children."

"And ... where is Byakuya? Did ... I get him back safe?"

Rukia nodded, reaching out to take Ichigo's hand into hers. Her fingers unconsciously rubbed it as she stared at the ground.

"Ichigo ...Michio was talking to Raye in his dreams again. Um ... last night, we suddenly realized that his Reiatsu, and Raye's, was spiking, so Nii-sama has gone to Earth to bring Raye back. With her and Michio together, their power will be greater, but we can protect them here. For a short while."

"Oh. Isn't Byakuya hurt, though?" Ichigo asked, smiling as Anyame began sucking on his shirt.

"He insisted that he was the one to go."

"I see."

Silence fell between them until Ichigo looked up to see Rukia on the verge of tears.

"You almost died," she said quietly, slowly. "You almost died ... _again_."

He reached out a hand and pressed it to her cheek as he stared deeply into her eye.

"Sorry, Rukia. Sorry for almost leaving you. But please know, I'll _never_ leave you if I have the choice. Like it or not, I'm here to stay."

"Stay stay!" Anyame chirped, reaching out for Rukia to pick her up. Nodding, Rukia finally smiled.

"Don't leave us again, please Ichigo."

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**July 23rd, 2009 - 8:02 PM**

"Stop pacing," Rukia snapped.

Ichigo fell into the chair closest to him with a sigh. Rukia was sitting beside him in another chair, a sleeping Anyame in her arms while Michio prowled around on the floor, in search of any tiny bugs to torture. Renji was leaning up against a far wall, and Ichigo, who had just sat down, stood up again to resume pacing.

He swore he could hear Rukia's teeth grinding together as his feet made a pattern across the ground.

"Daddy, if ya keep pacin' then you'll wear a hole in the floor and falls through," Michio said happily. Ichigo raised an eyebrow as Michio's tiny fingers reached out to pick up a roach. The tiny fingers came closer and closer to small pink lips as Ichigo bolted forward.

"No eating the bugs, Michio!"

The little child pouted; Rukia smiled as she watched Ichigo begin to take part in playing with the bug.

Their amusement was only stopped when Byakuya came through the door, his larger hand encasing a smaller, pale one as curious, bright blue eyes looked around the room.

"Raye!"

Rukia ran forward and embraced her daughter, closing her eyes as the little girl climbed up onto her lap.

"Mommy!"

She was dressed in a simple, white, sleeveless dress that swirled out around her legs. It cut off about three inches above her knees and her feet were bare. Byakuya said,

"I took her as she was. We had no time to grab anything; Kurosaki Isshin said he could already feel a strange Reiatsu in the air."

"Thank you," Rukia whispered.

Somehow, in his dreams in the past few nights, Michio had been keeping in contact with Raye, and their Reiatsu had exploded. The only way to ensure her safety was to bring her to the Soul Society, where she could be protected.

"Daddy?" Raye asked softly, looking up to Ichigo.

Ichigo smiled and leaned down beside the little girl, ruffling her hair as she continued to hold tightly onto Rukia. Her pale skin seemed even more pale in the light and her almost-black hair seemed to shine. Tiny feet kicked back and forth.

"Hey, sweetie."

Suddenly, a small head poked out from behind Rukia. Blue eyes met amber and Anyame puckered her lips together as she stared at her sister.

"Mama," she said happily to Raye, pointing to Rukia. Raye smiled and nodded, her cheeks growing the smallest bit pink as she reached out to touch her sister's hand. Michio then decided that his sister was more interesting that the bug and walked over, dropping down in front of all of them. Anyame chose to sit in Michio's lap, and the three children just stared at each other for a minute or two. Ichigo stepped back, letting them.

"Raye," Anyame said, pointing her small finger to the blue eyed little girl. Raye nodded. Anyame asked, "Sissy?"

"Yup!" Raye happily agreed. Ichigo smiled as he watched them all.

"Ah, sorry to break up this sweet little moment," Renji said, breaking in softly. "But the little squirts need to go to the sixth division's quarters; we've set up protection for them for the time being ... but ... "

"Don't speak here," Ichigo said firmly. "Don't scare them."

Raye let Rukia carry her and Ichigo picked Anyame in his arms; Michio protested to being held and traveled along behind them, chasing random bugs. Once they arrived and had settled the kids, who were yawning deeply, into make-shift beds, Ichigo sat down with Rukia, Byakuya, Renji, and Rukia's captain, Ukitake.

No one spoke for a minute until Ichigo said:

"How long do we have to run?"

Silence was thick in the room.

"We can protect the children, and defeat threats, but no matter how many threats are removed, there will always be a new one. In this case, hiding is the only way." Renji's voice was low and quiet.

"Hiding how?" Rukia asked, her violet eyes scanning the faces in the room. "Urahara-san sealed Raye and Michio's Reiatsu with that micro-chip of his, and even that wouldn't work forever, although it did do that job when they were small. How can we hide?"

Although no one spoke, Rukia could tell that there was something she wasn't being told, and from the look on Ichigo's face, he felt the same. But he was the first to ask about it.

"What are you hiding?"

His voice was firm and strong, and his amber eyes were intense as he stared ahead of him. Byakuya finally spoke, but it seemed as he if didn't want to.

"There is an experimental process that has been proven to work. We ... have had Urahara-san's help on it, but he refuses to come to the Soul Society. It is basically a more in-depth version of the Reiatsu chip that he gave Michio and Raye before. I has side-effects. That, and the fact that those who know of your children's power will not be stopped unless they are killed, are the only down-sides to this procedure."

"Side-effects?" Rukia asked, worry lacing her voice.

This time, it was Ukitake who spoke.

"Two of seven people that volunteered to have the new product tested on them have either died or are very ill."

Rukia's eyes went wide and Ichigo clenched his hands tight.

"No," he said firmly.

"Ichigo ... " Rukia began.

"No, Rukia, there is, _has to be_, another way. I can't let our children do something like this. If two in seven died, one in three might. No."

"But what if there's not another way?" she asked quietly, her eyes falling to the ground; it was as if she no longer realized, or cared, that anyone besides her and Ichigo were in the room as he reached his hand out, lifting her gaze to his.

Her violet eyes stared into Ichigo's amber ones as he reached out to take her small hand into his. She gripped to it tightly, as if it were a life-line.

"Rukia, I just got you and Michio and Anyame back ... I'm not risking it."

Another voice interrupted, and Ichigo looked up to see Byakuya on his feet, his eyes cold and emotionless.

"It _is_ the only way, Kurosaki. We cannot afford another attack like this on Soul Society. We will dispatch a group of high-ranked Shinigami, including yourself, to Aizen. The children will receive treatment, and will be watched over carefully by Unohana-san."

"We don't want that," Ichigo said. "The risk is too high. We'll take the children back to Earth, and I'll protect them there, if you won't have them in Soul Society."

"And what of the people in Aizen's way?" Byakuya's voice was beginning to rise a little as Rukia winced. "People _will_ die, Kurosaki. The risk is not too great, when you consider the lives at stake."

"I don't want this for my kids, Byakuya. If you'd had a child with Hisana and were faced with this decision, what would you chose?"

"I'd take the risk, because I realize how many people would die if I didn't."

"That's not true and you know it!" Ichigo yelled, standing to his feet, leaving Rukia to bite her lip, her hands folded in her lap. "You're asking me to risk the life of my kids!"

"I'm asking you to do what's right!"

It was the first time Rukia had ever heard her brother's voice rise so high. She looked around the room, her gaze going from her captain, who looked only slightly surprised, to Renji, who was watching the verbal match with interest and worry.

"Ichigo ... just please ... " she began.

"No, Rukia. Damn it! There is no way that I will willingly let our kids, _our kids_, Rukia, take that risk!"

Rukia winced and seemed to back away from Ichigo, who's Reiatsu was spilling out in his anger; she seemed scared of him.

"It's not your choice," Byakuya said slowly, his voice quiet again and his eyes cold. "In light of the dozens of lives lost already, and those who will die, it is a risk that has to be taken."

"Not my choice, my ass!" Ichigo yelled. "They're my kids! What do you mean, not my choice?"

"Daddy?"

Ichigo turned around quickly to see a yawning Michio in the doorway. His tiny feet were bare and his hands were rubbing his eyes as he looked around.

"Whatcha yellin' 'bout?"

"Come here, baby," Rukia said quickly, standing to her feet and picking Michio up in her arms before turning her back on the men in the room. "Come with me."

Her whole body was shaking with fear as she walked slowly back into the kids room.

"Mommy scared?" Michio asked, yawning again as Rukia sat him down on his bed; they could both still hear the voices of Ichigo and Byakuya, and now, Renji, who had joined in.

"Yeah, Mommy's scared, baby. She's scared for you and Raye and Anyame."

"Oh. Well, we fine. Can Mommy not be scared now?"

Rukia smiled bravely and kissed Michio on the head. Her eyes betrayed the smile on her face, and Michio wasn't fooled.

"Go back to sleep, baby."

He nodded, and Rukia stayed with him until his eyes slipped closed again. As she left the room, they snapped open, and Michio cried as he listened to his dad fight for him and his sisters. He didn't know what was happening, but his mommy had never looked that scared before.

But he knew his Daddy would protect him and his sisters, and oh yeah! his Mommy, too!

Mommy was always telling him stories of how Daddy always protected her and their friends, even when they didn't want to be protected. So, if he wanted to be protected by his Daddy and held in his arms, he knew that his Daddy would do it.

But when he heard his daddy screaming louder, and when his mommy came into the room and ran over to the bed he and his sisters shared, he knew something was wrong. His Mommy was crying as three men wearing black walked in behind her. He sat up quickly as they pushed his Mommy aside. She fell onto the floor and his Daddy's screaming only became louder.

"Leave them alone!"

The other men in the doorway, the white-haired man and his Uncle Renji, looked like they were doing everything they could to hold themselves back.

What was going on?

Michio screamed as he was picked up by one of the men. He watched as both his sisters were given the same treatment and tried to reach out to them when Anyame began to cry.

"Don't touch ma sisters! No! Lemme go! Daddy! Mommy!"

Tears were beginning to make their way down Michio's face as he was taken from the room. Then, everything seemed to blur as they moved too fast for him to see anything clearly. His Uncle called it "Shun-po".

"No! I want ma daddy!" Michio yelled, trying to get free of the man's grip.

But before they had gone too far away, Michio could still hear the screams of his father, and the cries of his mother.

Then, everything went black.

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OK ... sorry if this was confusing! And ... who wants to kill Byakuya now? I don't know who to side with. On one hand, if I had a kid, I'd never put them in danger. On the other hand, what if the risk was 1 in 3, and if it didn't happen, hundreds of people would die?

Please ignore me while I dig through my dusty brain to figure out who to side with ...

_**Please Review!**_


	15. Fade Away

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the characters. Thanks to **CrystalRaindrop007 **for beta'ing this! I also updated **Concrete Angel **and **Loves Me Not** a while back. Check them out if you want to!

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_"You both seem upset. It does no good to fade apart, when you need each other most. Talk to him, Rukia. Promise?"_

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**Whispers In Your Heart — XV**

**_June 17th - 2007 - 4:26 PM_**

_Rukia sat down on the chair in the kitchen, trying to hold her tears in. Michio was with her brother, and she was all alone today. It was times like these that she almost felt like she didn't want to live anymore. When Michio wasn't around, smiling innocently and giggling, that she felt she had no purpose in life. Her baby girl was gone ... and the man she loved more than anything in the world was gone._

_What now?_

_But the tiny child that was growing inside of her, and her smiling son, gave her hope even in the night when she cried for the loved ones she had lost._

_Ichigo's child lay inside her womb, and was growing with every day that passed. She was about two and a half months pregnant now, not even past the point of possible miscarriage. She hoped and prayed every day that the baby inside her would live and be born well into her pregnancy, not like Michio and ... Raye had been. If this baby were to die too, she didn't think she would be able to make it through each day. _

_Even the smiling face of Michio as he asked when daddy and sissy were coming home wouldn't be able to make her smile._

_Standing back to her feet, she wiped at her tears; they were only replaced by more. She had a little boy to care for, and he would be home soon, and he would be hungry. Even through the darkest times, and even through her tears, she had to live, for her baby and for Miciho._

_Smiling sadly, she whispered, "I love you, Ichigo," into the wind, and hoped that it reached him, wherever he was._

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**_July 23rd, 2009 - 9:42 PM_**

Rukia sat outside the light brown door, breathing softly as she stared at her husband, who was pacing in front of her. He was scowling, and she was almost afraid to speak to him, for fear of his temper. Almost, but not quite.

"What if it _is_ the right thing, Ichigo?" she asked, finally voicing her thoughts. She'd been battling with herself for an hour now: Was it right, or not? She was just as worried about the kids as Ichigo was, but if people were dying, _was it right_? She couldn't understand why she was almost willing to put her children in danger, but somehow, deep inside of her, she knew it was the right thing to do, even if it wasn't what she _wanted_.

Ichigo turned around and stopped pacing as he ran a hand over his face; he seemed to be trying to calm himself down. He said, slowly,

"What if one of them dies? They're _our children_, Rukia, forgive me for caring!"

"I care, too, Ichigo!"

"Well, then act like it!"

They stared at each other for a minute before Rukia broke eye contact again. Neither spoke as Ichigo continued to pace.

"If you keep pacing, you'll wear a hole in the floor," Rukia informed him quietly. Ichigo stopped in his tracks; it was what Michio had said to him before. Silence fell over them, but Ichigo didn't continue his pacing. Instead, he sat down beside Rukia, and her heart dropped when she realized that he was keeping a distance from her. He didn't reach out to take her hand, or even try to comfort her in any way as she began to cry softly.

"When did you become so weak?" Ichigo asked slowly, his eyes falling to the ground. "When did you start crying so much?"

"Since I had a _reason_ to cry," Rukia replied, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "I cried when you left, Ichigo, because I thought you and Raye were gone forever. I was rushing you two out the door that morning because Michio was grumpy and sick, and I hadn't said good-bye right. I kissed you and Raye on the cheek, and you were gone. That was the last time that I'd seen you. And I'm crying now because you won't cry. I'm crying for my children, Ichigo."

"..."

Ichigo didn't reply as he watched the tears slowly slip from Rukia's eyes.

"When I first met you, Rukia, I didn't think you were capable of crying. But now ... you're so different. Did my leaving _really _change you that much?"

"You didn't simply leave, Ichigo. We thought you and Raye were _dead_. As in we would never see you again."

"I know what dead is, baka," Ichigo said, turning away again. Rukia sighed and put her head in her hands, and was deeply surprised when Ichigo reached over and gently took her into his arms.

"Sorry, Rukia, for leaving."

"I forgave you already Ichigo, in my heart."

"That's good to know. Because now, we have to be strong for each other, and for the children, all right?"

"I know. And I can be strong, if you can."

Ichigo smiled and nodded, then the smile dropped from his face as he stood to his feet, walking over to the light brown door as Unohana appeared.

"I'm sorry we had to do that, Ichigo-kun, Rukia-san, but so far, all three children seem to be fine." There was a tiny smile on her face, and her eyes did, indeed, show regret as Ichigo helped Rukia to her feet.

"Can we see them yet?" Ichigo asked, his voice daring her to even try saying "no".

"Yes, this way please."

She led them through the door and into a small room where three white beds held their small children. Anyame was awake and was quietly moving her feet back and forth in the air as she sucked on her fingers. As soon as she saw Rukia and Ichigo, she reached out her arms to be picked up. Ichigo turned to Unohana, questioningly.

"You can hold her."

Ichigo reached down and picked her into his arms. Like Rukia, she was small. Even smaller than Miciho and Raye had been at her age. The tiny girl was like Rukia in too many ways to count. Her eyes were the only thing that that clearly shouted that she was his little girl. They were a deep amber color, and matched perfectly with her shoulder-length raven hair. Her fingers moved happily against his as Rukia probed the small scar on her wrist; it was in the same place as Raye and Michio's, she found out quickly.

"Is this where ... ?" She let her question trail off as Unohana nodded.

"They will have that scar for a while; it might fade in time. Under their skin is a small device that should hide their power until they are old enough to control it on their own. At that time, it should break and be absorbed into their skin. No harm done. The procedure went fine. Anyame woke up about three minutes ago, right before you came in. Raye has shown signs of waking soon as well, but Michio is still sleeping soundly. They all seem fine, but we're going to keep an eye on them for a while just to make sure."

"Thanks," Ichigo said, reaching down to touch Michio's small hand. Anyame, who was still in his arms, wiggled around and reached out for Rukia, babbling, "Mamama."

"So ... they're really all right?" Ichigo asked slowly. Unohana nodded and Ichigo asked, "Who's idea was it for them to undergo this?"

"Ichigo ... " Rukia said in a warning voice. Ichigo smirked over at her.

"What's done is done, Rukia. I'm still _very_ pissed, and if anything happens to the kids, I will never forgive whoever did this. But right now ... I just want to know who's idea it was."

Unoahana paused, then said quietly, "It was a majority decision made by all of the Captains and Vice-Captains. Rukia-san, your brother was against it from the beginning, and so were I and Abarai-kun, but we all realize that, even though it is not something we wanted, it is something that needed to be done."

"I know, Unohana-san. Thank you for taking care of them," Rukia said, a small smile on her face as she held Anyame in her arms. The baby was growing sleepy, and her little eyes were beginning to close as she reached out a small hand to run it over Rukia's fingers.

"Sleep now, baby," Rukia whispered, her violet eyes finally turning from her daughter to her husband, who was standing beside Michio and Raye, who were both sleeping soundly, their small chests rising and falling with each breath they took, and their features soft. She noted that he wasn't smiling as he watched them, and wandered over gently touching his arm.

"Ichigo, they'll be all right ... right?" she whispered, her own eyes falling to the small bodies of her son and daughter.

"Yeah, they should be. They're strong, Rukia."

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**_July 24rd, 2009 - 11:11 AM_**

Rukia smiled as Raye reached over her to grab her cup. Both hands grasped it as she drank slowly from the water inside. Anyame was sitting beside her older sister watching her with interest, trying to copy everything she did. As such, little hands reached out to grab the second cup off of the night stand, but she dropped it halfway to her lips and it spilled all over Rukia. Raye broke out laughing while Anyame giggled.

"Very funny," Rukia said, trying to be stern; she was still smiling, however, as she picked Anyame off of her lap and put her in Raye's, telling the older girl to watch over her sister while she dried off. After grabbing a few paper-towels and dabbing herself off as best as she could, Rukia walked up to Unohana, who had just finished running a few tests on Michio.

"Hey, Rukia-san. How are the girls?" the doctor asked.

"They're fine. Laughing, smiling ... I think they're going to be just fine. What about Michio though? He hasn't woken up. It's been two days, and I'm worried."

"Physically, he seems fine. Maybe he's just slow. I would worry too much unless his condition takes a turn for the worse, all right?"

"OK ... "

Rukia seemed unsure, but took the doctor's word for it as she walked back over to her daughters, where they were giggling and laughing. Michio lay silently in the bed beside them, and Ichigo was no where to be found; he was probably outside taking a breath. He'd been by Michio's side for the past few days, not moving except to sleep and play with Raye and Anyame. And, although they had resolved the silent fight between himself and Rukia, there was thick tension in the air. He had barely spoken to her, and hadn't even held her hand or so much as looked directly into her eyes for the last twenty-four hours.

It was almost as if ... he blamed _her._

Sighing, Rukia walked over to Unohana and asked her to watch the girls; she needed to go do something. She smiled and nodded, saying briefly that maybe Rukia should use that time to go talk to Ichigo.

"You both seem upset. It does no good to fade apart, when you need each other most. Talk to him, Rukia. Promise?"

"Ah. I promise," Rukia said quietly, bowing briefly before walking out. Unohana walked over to the girls, and, because she had nothing else to do, offered to play Tea Party with them.

* * *

Rukia walked from the forth division's quarters with a sigh as a million thoughts ran through her head. She needed to talk to Ichigo, and she knew it, but she didn't want to. She knew their conversation would most probably end in a fight. He was still mad about the children getting the treatment, and though there was nothing either could have done about it, she knew he would blame her if Michio didn't wake up.

"Rukia?"

Rukia's eyes snapped up. They stared directly into Ichigo's as he looked down at her. He had come from nowhere, it seemed, and was now only inches from her.

"Are ... you OK?"

"No, not really. Um ... can we talk?" There. It was out.

"Ah, sure, I guess."

He seemed as nervous as her. Despite their never having problems communicating before, she couldn't think of any words to explain how she was feeling. Finally, as his amber eye stared into hers, she said quickly,

"You blame me, don't you?"

"Huh? Why the hell would I?" Ichigo asked, a confused look on his face.

"I didn't do anything! All I did was cry, Ichigo, because there was nothing else I _could_ do. I could have tried to stop them, I know I could have _tried_, but I wouldn't have been able to. But in my heart, I didn't know what to believe. Whether it was right or wrong ... I just didn't know. And because of that, I let them take Michio and Raye and Anyame from us. I didn't even fight, because I didn't know what I should believe in. But I failed our children, Ichigo, didn't I? And now Michio won't wake up, and he might die, and ... and you'll blame me won't you?"

Rukia paused and took a deep breath, surprised from the words that had come flowing out of her. She hadn't meant to say half of that; she didn't want him to know how she had felt. Ichigo seemed surprised at her words as he looked down at her. Her hands were shaking as she broke off their eye contact; she didn't want him looking into her eyes, because it felt like he was looking into her soul.

"Rukia ... I never blamed you ... I thought you blamed _me_. I was the one who could have stopped them. I fought those same men in order to save you. Why couldn't I do the same for Michio, Raye and Anyame?"

"I ... I didn't blame you, Ichigo," Rukia whispered, reaching out to touch his hand. He took her small fingers into his palm and let his own fingers run over her soft skin. "But now I'm worried. I'm worried about Michio. Will he be all right?"

"I don't know, Rukia. I don't know."

Silence fell over them as Rukia laid her head on Ichigo's chest. His arms came around her, and he finally held her like she had wanted for the past day and a half. His presence and his warm embrace comforted her and helped to ease some of her fears. He laid his chin on her head and breathed out deeply.

"Sorry, Rukia."

Rukia smiled and whispered something quietly back to him; he didn't hear her, and was about to ask her to repeat what she had said when suddenly Unohana burst through the door, a frightened look on her face.

"Rukia-san! Ichigo-kun! Something's happened! Michio's dying!"

* * *

Ouch. _(Waits for her death)_ Who wants to kill me now? And why do I always pick on Miciho? In **Shadows In The Night**, he was the one who almost died. Maybe this time I will kill him ...

**_Please Review!_**


	16. Daddy's Words

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the characters. Thanks to **CrystalRaindrop007** for beta'ing!

* * *

_She'd seen Michio dying, and yet she'd trusted daddy's word without a second thought. She'd gone to sleep, completely sure her daddy was telling the truth, and that Michio would be fine._

* * *

**Whispers In Your Heart — XVI**

**_June 29th - 2007 - 7:44 PM_**

_"Daddy sad?"_

_Raye, who was two and a half-years-old, held onto Ichigo's knee for support as she blinked innocently, her bright blue eyes happy as tiny fingers wound in his pajama pants. Ichigo smiled sadly and nodded a little in response to her question. When he did this, Raye frowned, pulled herself up onto his lap and just sat there for a second before leaning forward and kissing him on the cheek._

_"Daddy, where mommy?"_

_Ichigo hugged Raye briefly and said, "Mommy isn't here, baby."_

_"When mommy here? And Michio?"_

_The look in her bright, sleepy eyes was enough to make Ichigo wish everything was back to normal, even if they were all in danger, even if Rukia was being hurt. But he would never do that; he would never, _ever_ hurt Rukia, or his children. But by not hurting his wife, he was hurting everyone. He was hurting them emotionally._

_"Daddy, bunny?"_

_"Bunny?" Ichigo asked, his eyebrow raised. Raye nodded._

_"I wants a bunny."_

_"A bunny, huh? Now?"_

_"Yeah!"_

_She was bouncing in his lap, and she seemed to forget everything from only moments before as Ichigo swung her up into his arms. She giggled loudly as he took her into her bedroom of their new apartment; it was a two-bedroom, and he had just finished unpacking the day before. Raye had all new clothes; Rukia would have noticed if the baby's clothes had gone missing when she had 'died', so as soon as they had reached Earth, Ichigo had taken the beds and furniture out of storage and had bought Raye clothes, shoes and toys._

_"Bunny!" she said again, kicking her feet back and forth as Ichigo tried to take her out of her pajamas; if they were going into town, he wanted to dress her._

_"Hold on, baby."_

_He smiled a little when he pulled a jean jumper over her head and a pair of light pink socks on her feet. She refused shoes, and he let her; it was summer outside, and she hated shoes in the summer. He combed her hair into pig-tails and she grinned a toothy grin._

_"Bunny!"_

_Ichigo tried to convince himself that he was giving in so easily only because they to go to town for food anyway, but he knew that he would do anything at this point to make his little girl happy. If she wanted a bunny, she could get one. A bunny wouldn't replace her mother, or her brother or friends, but it would give her a new friend and someone to hug. _

_"Baby bunny, I'm gonna gets a baby bunny ... "_

_Raye continued to giggle and laugh as Ichigo took her hand, grabbed the shopping list, and led her out to the car. Once she was buckled in, he drove off._

**_Later That Night ..._**

_"I wants to name him Cookies!" _

_The new bunny had captured all of Raye's attention, and she was happily chasing the tiny thing around the room while Ichigo watched, amused, from the big, fluffy chair by the fireplace. He briefly wondered if Rukia would have been like this if he had ever gotten that bunny she had asked for._

_Before sad thoughts could consume his mind again, however, he shoved them to the side. Raye picked up on his mood so easily, and he didn't want to tuck her into bed with tears in her bright blue eyes again. _

_He would write some more in the journal that his dad suggested he keep; it was something that Isshin had done himself when he had lost Masaki. He said that putting your thoughts and feelings down on paper helped him move on in the end, even if it caused a lot of tears to begin with._

_Finally, as he watched Raye, Ichigo smiled._

_"All right. Cookies it is."_

_

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**_July 24rd, 2009 - 11:32 AM_**

"Rukia-san! Ichigo-kun! Something's happened! Michio's dying!"

Ichigo felt his heart break as those words washed over him, and Rukia gripped his hand tightly as they all ran inside the room again. Michio's small body looked the same as before; still, silent, pale. Nothing seemed to have changed until Ichigo noticed that his chest was no longer moving up and down. His breath caught in his throat as several healers pushed him out of the way to get to Michio. His first thoughts were to go to his son, but he knew that, right now, he wasn't the one who could do anything.

"Mama!"

Rukia spun around, snapped out of her trance, to the voice of Anyame. The little girl was standing up on her bed, tears in her small eyes and her arms outstretched. Rukia picked her up and held her close, her tiny head pressed into Rukia's jacket so she couldn't see what was happening to her brother. She knew, anyway.

"Mama! Michi!"

Unohana turned around just then, slight relief in her eyes.

"He _is_ dying, but slowly. His systems are shutting down, but we have several hours, _maybe _a day, before he's completely gone. Watch him, and watch him good. If this happens again, call everyone. But we can try and use this time to stop what is happening."

"All ... all right." Ichigo was still a little confused. He continued to stare down at Michio until he felt the pressure of a small pair of arms wrapping around his legs. He looked down to see Raye standing below him, her eyes shining bright with tears.

"Daddy? Is Michio gonna be all right?"

"Yeah, baby. He'll be fine."

Ichigo knew that what he was saying could very well be a lie, but the innocent, worried look in Raye's eyes made his heart break. She was crying for her brother, the small boy who she'd only met a little while ago. The small boy she'd asked about so many times and wanted to meet and to play with.

"Daddy, I love you and mommy and Michio and Anyame. And I don't wants any of you to die. I want to live together happily and stuff."

Ichigo smiled and hugged her.

"I know. We will, I promise."

"OK."

She smiled as he lifted her into his arms, laying her head on his shoulder. Her sleepy eyes closed and Ichigo almost wished that he hadn't said anything. She'd seen Michio dying, and yet she'd trusted daddy's word without a second thought. She'd gone to sleep, completely sure her daddy was telling the truth, and that Michio would be fine.

If his little boy did die, would Raye ever have that same trust? Would she believe him if her brother died, when he'd said that Michio would be fine?

Forcing those thoughts from his head and reaching over, he took Rukia into his arms, who was on the verge of tears as she watched Michio struggle for each breath. She buried her head in his chest and Anyame protested loudly to being slightly squashed in between her parents until Rukia shifted her around a little. No one moved as they watched the small body in the bed next to them. With each rise and fall of his chest, Ichigo felt his heart swell. He wouldn't be able to take it if his baby died.

"Rukia ... you really thought we were dead, huh? Back then, when we left?" he asked quietly, his eyes not leaving Michio's body as Rukia pulled out of his arms to lay the now-sleeping Anyame on her bed.

"Yeah. I really did. I never told Michio, though. He always thought you were coming back, and sometimes he'd go missing for hours at a time, and I'd find him at that small area you two used to play in. I think he was waiting for you. I think he would have waited forever."

"I don't know how you did it, Rukia. If you or ... or Michio, Raye or Anyame ever died ... I don't think I could move on."

"I couldn't either, Ichigo."

"But you were strong. You gave Michio a life; he was happy, and so was Anyame. When I saw them, their eyes glowed with happiness. That was something I know I wouldn't have been able to give Raye if I'd thought you and Michio were gone. I wouldn't have been able to be that strong."

"You _are_ strong."

"Not in that way."

Rukia laughed softly. "I think in my heart I always knew you were alive. You always rush head-first into dangerous situations and end up almost getting yourself killed like the idiot you are, but you're always alive in the end."

Ichigo frowned playfully, protesting, "I'm _not _an idiot."

"I beg to differ," Rukia said, poking him with a slight laugh. A small snore from Michio made the smile drop from her face, however, when she realized again where they were and why they were there.

"He'll be alright," Ichigo said reassuringly, smiling. Rukia nodded, reaching a hand over his small body and letting her reiatsu flow through him. After only a few seconds, she realized why Unohana and the other healers hadn't tried healing like she had just done; it wasn't going to work. The injections that the kids had been given blocked out all reiatsu; even the strongest couldn't do a thing.

"You know, when Raye first found out about Michio, it was when she was playing around in my closet. I didn't _know_ she was in there, but she'd somehow found my photo album and asked about it." Ichigo broke off and laughed. "She thought that you were one of those girls that she always sent 'the glare' to. Every woman who even tired to talk to me or looked at me like they were even slightly interested, Raye would glare at them and say something about mommy. They always walked off quickly."

Rukia laughed and reached over, rubbing Raye's black-orange hair down. The little girl smiled sleepily and yawned; it was nap time.

"I didn't want daddy lovin' someone else, mommy. Only you," she whispered, laying her head against Ichigo's shoulder again and finally losing the fight to keep her eyes open.

"I hope you know I have to kick your ass if you were looking at women in that way while you knew I was alive," Rukia said jokingly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I didn't, no worries."

They were silent for a while longer as Ichigo's arm once again wrapped around Rukia's shoulders. She yawned and laid her head on his chest, her violet eyes sleepy.

"Get some sleep," Ichigo suggested.

"But what about Michio?"

"He'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to him. You heard Unohana; he has a while before we need to worry. I know they'll find a way to save him."

Ichigo hoped he sounded more confident than he felt, because, truth be told, as the minutes continued to tick by, his hope was breaking into a million pieces.

Rukia nodded and climbed up onto the bed beside Raye and Anyame. She curled up and whispered, "I'll only rest a little while."

"All right. I'll wake you if _anything_ changes."

She nodded and closed her eyes.

Ichigo pulled up a chair beside Michio's bed, but before he could sit down, Unohana walked into the room. He immediately turned around, concern on his face.

"Did you find something?"

She nodded grimly.

"You have a choice to make, Ichigo-kun."

"A choice?" Ichigo asked, slightly confused. Unohana nodded.

"We found a way to save Michio. But ... "

"But _what_?" Ichigo growled impatiently. Unohana took a deep breath in.

"Rukia will want to be awake to help you make this decision, but ... we found that Raye's reiatsu is completely different than any Shinigami's in Soul Society. Ours cannot penetrate the shield put up by the injection that Michio was given, but Raye's ... "

"She can heal him?" Ichigo asked, surprised. Hope seemed to flood his soul again as he watched Unohana.

"There is one problem, though."

Ichigo didn't speak, and let Unohana continue.

"It will most likely kill Raye."

* * *

O.U.C.H. I am totally going to be flamed, huh? I know everyone hates cliffhangers when I don't update for **10 days**, but sorry! This story has become the hard one to write and **Concrete Angel** has been easy! Of course, now, _both_ of them are ended on terrible cliffhangers.

**NOTE:** It WILL take a while to update! More than a week! It is nearing the end of the story, and it always takes a lot of time to write at the end!

**_Please Review!_**


	17. I Still Live On

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the characters. Thanks to **CrystalRaindrop007** for beta'ing!

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_"I want to, daddy. I want to save Michio ... because I love him."_

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**Whispers In Your Heart — XVII**

**_July 4th - 2007 - 6:21 PM_**

_"Thank you, Renji."_

_Renji smiled as Rukia sat down on the bed in her new room. Her hands were clasped in her lap and she smiled sadly as Michio attempted to climb up onto the bed next to her. Once he was at his destination, he settled down on his diapered butt and gave her a toothy smile as he sneezed._

_"You're welcome, Rukia," Renji said slowly._

_"I mean ... I - I hate to burden you, but I just can't ... everything there, everything, reminds me of Ichigo and, and Raye. I ... God, I love them so much ... how am I going to give Michio and my baby a chance to live?"_

_Renji sat beside her on the bed and picked Miciho into his arms, placing the small, squirming boy in her lap._

_"You still have Michio, and that tiny baby growing inside of you. They're depending on you, as their mother, to love them and keep them safe."_

_"But I couldn't keep Raye safe, or Ichigo," she said, smiling sadly as she kissed Michio on the forehead. He giggled and went back to playing with his bare toes after climbing off of her lap and down onto the bed beside her._

_"But you can do the best you can for your children. I know you can do it. Just believe in yourself, all right?"_

_Rukia nodded slowly and placed her hand on her stomach; she was just barely beginning to show at seven weeks pregnant. Michio looked up from biting his toes and giggled at Rukia. Standing on his feet on the bed, he reached up and gave Rukia a big, slobbery kiss on the cheek. She laughed through her tears as he curiously put a hand on her stomach. His tiny fingers were placed over hers as she pulled her little boy into a hug. He sneezed twice and frowned, reaching up his small hand to wipe his nose._

_Renji stood up and walked to the door._

_"Well, if you need anything, I'll be around somewhere. Oh, and I can help you move your stuff over here, if you like."_

_"That'd be a big help."_

_"I heps, too!" Michio chimed in, giggling as he bounced around on the bed. Rukia bit her lip, trying not to tell him to sit still. He was having fun, and it wasn't too dangerous._

_Suddenly, Michio dropped down onto his bottom on the bed, twisting his blue T-shirt in his fingers. His legs were bare, as when Rukia tried to put his jeans on that morning, he'd had a tantrum; he went without them. It was summer, anyway._

_"Mommy, I wants a cookie," he informed her. Rukia lifted her eyes to meet his own bright, violet ones._

_"Maybe after we get some of our stuff over here."_

_"We brings Mr. Blanket?" he asked innocently. Rukia nodded. Mr. Blanket was the soft, baby blue blanket that had been Ichigo's when he was small. It was given to the twins when they were born, and as they grew, they would fight over who got to sleep with it._

_Rukia felt tears in her eyes as she remembered the outcomes of those fights; Michio and Raye would finally just lay together, snuggling close with the blanket in between them. _

_"Let's go get Mr. Blanket, and then it's nap time."_

_"No, no nappie!"_

_Rukia forced a large smile as she dived across the bed, grabbing Michio into her arms and tickling him. He giggled, his eyes closing as his tiny hands tried to force hers off of his tummy._

_"Rukia-san!" _

_It was the voice of Unohna; Rukia had almost forgotten that the doctor had promised she'd stop by to check on the little cold that Michio seemed to have._

_"You shouldn't be playing rough like that in your condition."_

_Rukia laughed softly. Doctors always knew what you were doing, even if they wern't in the same room. Unohana appeared at the door just as Michio was re-gaining his breath from being tickled and walked over, sitting down beside mother and son._

_"Hey, little one. How are you doing?"_

_"I sick." Michio ended this statement with a sneeze and Unohana laughed._

_"Rukia-san, wasn't he sick just last month?" she asked, frowning as she checked Michio over._

_"Yes. He was sick when ... when Ichigo and Raye ... "_

_Rukia didn't finished her sentence as tears began to pool in her eyes._

_"And how are _you_ doing, Rukia-san?" Unohana asked gently as she started at the younger woman._

_"I ... I'm fine."_

_"No, you're not."_

_Rukia looked up in surprise. The older woman was smiling kindly._

_"It's all right to grieve, Rukia-san. I can take Michio for a day if you need some time alone. He likes it in the forth division, anyway."_

_Rukia nodded, reaching up to wipe her tears away._

_"I don't know how I can move on. I love them both too much."_

* * *

_**July 24rd, 2009 - 11:59 AM**_

_"It will most likely kill Raye."_

Ichigo was speechless as he stared at the doctor in front of him. Her eyes held complete truth as she said those six words. Suddenly, he felt someone pulling on his sleeve. He looked down, still shocked, to see Raye happily by his side.'

"Daddy, what about Raye? What about me?" she asked excitedly. Her eyes were shining and Ichigo felt his heart swell. How could anyone ask him to do this? They were almost asking him to choose between his children. He could never do something like that; he loved both Raye and Michio more than the world.

"Nothing, sweetie. Go back and stay with mommy, all right?" he said, hugging her briefly before she bounced off, saying happily,

"Em'K daddy!"

Ichigo turned back around to face Unohana. "Are you telling me I have to choose between my children?"

Unohana looked grim. "You could pretend I never told you this, and hope we can come up with something else in time, but I suggest you wake Rukia-san and talk it over. I'm not saying that you should willing put Raye in danger ... but perhaps _ask_ Raye if she'd like to help."

"But she wouldn't understand," Ichigo argued, looking back to see Raye's bright blue eyes staring at him. The little girl waved happily as she snuggled up to Rukia on the bed.

"I think Raye understands a lot more than we think she does, Ichigo-kun. Talk with Rukia-san, and then both of you should talk to Raye."

Ichigo ran a hand through his hair as a million thoughts ran through his head.

"Fine. And ... thanks, Unohana-san."

She smiled sadly as she turned to walk away. "You're welcome, Ichigo-kun, but I don't see how I've helped."

Ichigo walked over to the bed where the three most important women in his life lay. Raye giggled and jumped up and down; he finally picked her up into his arms as he sat down and gently shook Rukia awake.

"Did something happen?" she asked worriedly, shooting up in bed. She only relaxed when she saw Michio laying peacefully on the bed beside her. Taking a deep breath in, Rukia looked up into Ichigo's eyes and concern spread over her own features. "Ichigo, what's wrong?"

"Rukia, we need to talk. Raye ... can you stay here and watch Anyame for me and mommy?"

The little girl nodded happily and Rukia and Ichigo walked to the other side of the room.

"Ichigo, what is it?" she asked worriedly, biting her lower lip. Ichigo began to tell her what Unohana had said about the differences in their regular Reiatsu and Raye's; he paused before he got to the part about Raye being able to heal Michio, however, and took a deep breath in before continuing. He didn't want to trouble her with this; he wished that he didn't have to.

"Rukia, she can heal Michio, but ... Unohana said it might kill her."

"Ichigo ... "

Rukia's voice was shaking a little as Ichigo reached out and took her into his arms; she understood what was being said. She understood that they might have to choose between their children.

"How ... how can we?" she asked, her voice low.

"I don't know, Rukia. I don't know." Ichigo laid his chin on her soft hair and closed his eyes.

"But ... Michio is dying, and-and Raye can save him, right? But she ... she might die?"

Ichigo nodded slowly. There was no way they could do this.

"Daddy?"

Ichigo looked down in surprise to see little Raye standing beside him, the now-awake Anyame beside her. She was smiling and Anyame was sucking on her fingers. Even though the two little girls had barely even known each other for a few days, it seemed like they had known each other forever.

"I want to, daddy. I want to save Michio ... because I love him."

Her words surprised them, and Rukia turned to look at her daughter.

"Raye ... "

She looked up at her mommy and daddy and grinned.

"Please let me. I want to. I know that I might be hurt and never wake up, but let me try. I wants to save my brother."

Ichigo looked at Rukia, then back at Raye.

"Daddy ... please?"

Ten minutes later, Unohana and several other healers were gathered around Michio's bed as Rukia lifted Raye up to where she was sitting beside her brother.

"Raye, I - "

"I can do it, mommy. I promise he'll be OK."

"But what about _you_?" Tears were beginning to pool in Rukia's eyes. She'd only been with her daughter again for a short while, and she was losing her again.

"I'll be fine, mommy. Even if I die, I'll still live on."

Rukia nodded and stood back, letting Ichigo wrap her in his embrace as they watched Raye. She had wanted try so badly to heal her brother, there was nothing they could have done to stop her. She smiled at them, whispering, "I love you, mommy. I love you, daddy, and I love you, too, Anyame."

Then, she pressed her hand to Michio's chest and closed her eyes.

Rukia's scream was heard only seconds later when Raye's hand fell away and she fell down on the bed beside Michio. Unohana quickly checked Michio over, announcing that he was perfectly healthy. Then, she ran over to Raye.

She closed her eyes, letting her own Reiatsu flow into the little girl. After a minute ot two, she looked over and shook her head.

"I'm so sorry."

Rukia and Ichigo cried for their daughter, and Anyame, who barely even knew what was happening, cried, too.

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First off, sorry for_ taking so long to update_!

Second, the next update **will not** be for a while! My family is moving and our internet is being unhooked on the 6th, and won't be put up in the new house until the end of April. It _won't_ take me that long to update because I can get internet access elsewhere, but **WORST CASE** it will take me until the end of April to update. It should only be a week or two, though.

**Sorry!** Update for **Concrete Angel** as soon as I find time (And internet!) to write the new chapter!

**_Please Review!_**


	18. Butterfly Kisses

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or the characters. Thanks to **CrystalRaindrop007** for beta'ing! Song Lyrics: **Butterfly Kisses** by **Bob Carlisle**. **NOTE: **The song, Butterfly Kisses, is supposed to be viewed through Ichigo's POV as he watches over Raye.

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_With all that I've done wrong  
I must have done something right.  
To deserve her love every morning,  
And butterfly kisses at night._

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**Whispers In Your Heart — XVIII**

**_July 15th - 2007 - 10:19 AM_**

_Rukia smiled sadly as she watched Michio run around, giggling. Her hand went to her stomach and she smiled as she pressed her fingers to her slightly bulging tummy. She was already two months into her pregnancy, and Unohana had said everything was coming along great._

_"Mommy, I wanna see beebee," Michio informed her, doing his best to climb up onto the bed beside her. His tiny tongue was sticking out of the side of his mouth, and he was in deep concentration as his little fingers gripped tightly to the bed, trying to reach Rukia, who was currently residing in the middle._

_Rukia laughed and lifted Michio onto the bed beside her._

_"Well, we can't see the baby for a few more months, little one."_

_Truth be told, Unohana had no idea how long she would be able to carry the baby. When Rukia had been pregnant with Michio and Raye, it was totally different; the two children together created so much Reiatsu that she simply couldn't control it. This time, the doctor had told her she could probably make it to eight months easily._

_"Oh. I wants a beebee sissy. Likes Raye! Oooh ... Mommy, do Raye and daddy gets to see the beebee?" Michio asked, his curious little eyes shining happily. Rukia forced a smile and pulled her little boy into her lap._

_"Daddy and Raye aren't going to be back for a long time."_

_When her brother and Renji had first come to tell them of what had happened to Ichigo and Raye, Michio could tell something was wrong. After he had fallen asleep and woken up, however, he remembered nothing, and kept on asking when daddy was going to be back._

_Rukia had said simply, 'Soon.'_

_Michio didn't know that they were gone forever, but since she still believed, she would let him believe that they would be back, too._

_"They might get to see the baby, I don't know."_

_"I wants Raye to see sissy." He paused. "Mommy, you _can_ make a sissy, huh?"_

_Rukia laughed at the puzzled look on Michio's face._

_"I can try, but I don't know how it'll turn out."_

_"Oh. OK!"_

_He jumped off the bed and went back to his project on the floor. Crayons and paper were littered across the carpet, and Rukia decided that, if she were to refrain from cleaning any longer, she would have to go over and draw with her son._

_She eased onto the floor, careful not to lay on her stomach, and picked up a crayon. Michio smiled up at her._

_"Mommy draw with me!"_

_"Well, what are you drawing?" she asked, staring down into the bunnies on the paper. Michio giggled and picked it up, pointing to each of the bunnies as he spoke a name. "Me, and Raye, and Daddy, and you, Mommy! I wants to draw the beebee, but I don't knows if it's a sissy or a bwother."_

_Rukia could feel tears surfacing once again as she stared at the picture. Michio continued on with a smile._

_"I wants to draw for Daddy, 'cause it's his birf-day."_

_Wiping tears away, Rukia picked up the pink crayon she had accidentally dropped and began to carefully finish the drawing of Raye. _

_**On Earth...**_

_"Daddy!"_

_Ichigo ran from the kitchen into his daughters bedroom in a record time of three seconds when he heard her pained cry. He slid to a stop in front of her to see her looking up at him with wide, sad eyes as she pointed out her bloody finger; she'd cut it._

_He smiled and leaned down beside her, using the dishtowel he had in his hands from washing to press over the cut._

_"What happened, Raye?"_

_"I have a boo-boo," she said, wiping her tears away with a shaky hand. Ichigo pulled back the dish-towel and smiled, leaning over and pressing a butterfly kiss to her finger where the papercut had stopped bleeding._

_"There. All better?"_

_"Uh huh."_

_She grinned at him and he grinned back._

_"Oh. Daddy, happy birf-day!"_

_Ichigo looked surprised for a second before realizing that it _was_ his birthday._

_"Thank you, Raye. Hey, how about we leave the mean paper alone and play with Cookies for a bit?"_

_Raye nodded happily and stood to her feet, smiling as she ran out of the room, her little dress flying up as she jumped around in circles. She fell down in surprise when the doorbell rang only to jump back to her feet again. It was in that moment that Ichigo decided he wouldn't give her strawberries and sugar for lunch ever again._

_He walked over to the door and Raye followed. The bright yellow jumper was once again airborne, flying up past her panties. As soon as she realized that her daddy was opening the door to the world, she squeaked loudly and pressed her jumped down past her knees again, blue eyes wide. _

_Ichigo laughed at her and opened the door to see his friends, Ishida Uryuu and Orihime, standing in front of him. Slinging the dish-towel over his shoulder, he invited them in._

_"Happy birthday, Kurosaki-kun!" Orihim greeted happily, grinning as she held out a nicely wrapped gift. Ichigo took it, then led them into the kitchen where he lifted Raye into a chair. She wiggled around, her bare feet kicking back and forth as she reached her hand out to the bowl of strawberries on the table._

_"Hey guys. Been a long time, huh?" Ichigo said, setting the gift on the table. "Thanks for visiting, and for the present."_

_"It really has been too long," Orihime informed him. "Aki is almost a whole year old now!"_

_Said baby bounced up and down in his fathers arms, sticking his tongue out and reaching for his mother. Orihime grinned and took the baby from her husband. _

_Ichigo smiled as they all talked. Orihime laughed and grinned a lot, and Ichigo found himself wishing that Rukia were here to smile, too. _

_Orihime and Rukia had been friends for so long, and when Rukia had found out that Orihime was pregnant twenty months ago, they had had so much fun thinking of names. In the end, __Uryuu and Orihime had decided on Aki because it meant 'sky'. And true to his name, the little boy was constantly looking up at the sky, laughing at the clouds._

_Soon, Isshin, Karin and Yuzu showed up, but Ichigo knew there were people missing. And he would have given anything to be able to see Rukia and Michio. _

_But when he tucked Raye into bed that night, and she smiled, her ice blue eyes shining as she pressed a butterfly kiss to his lips, he knew that, even if Rukia and Michio couldn't be with him, he at least had a part of his family with him to love._

_**

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**_July 25th, 2009 - 5:12 AM_**

It had barely been six hours since Raye had healed Michio.

Rukia was crying softly while Ichigo held her, trying to hold his own tears in.

God, his little girl... she was gone. He loved her more than the world, but he needed to be strong for Rukia and for Anyame, who had cried herself to sleep only minutes before.

He would cry when there was no one around to see his tears.

Rukia was beginning to shake, but her sobs were becoming quieter. Ichigo looked down and wiped Rukia's hair away from her eyes. She looked up at him. Amber eyes stared into violet, and Ichigo felt his tears coming as he could no longer hold them in.

"Ichigo... she's really gone, isn't she?" Rukia asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. Ichigo nodded, burring his face in her hair as he cried like he should have been since Raye had died.

No one else was in the room; Anyame was sleeping on Rukia's lap, and Rukia was resting in Ichigo's arms as they watched over Michio. Raye had been taken into another room, her small body covered with a sheet and her little, ice blue eyes closed forever.

"I loved her so much," Ichigo whispered. "I loved her so much... "

When Michio woke up, he already knew what had happened.

"No! I want to go to Raye! No, let me to!"

His loud voice cut through the quiet, sorrowful atmosphere that hung in the forth division's quarters, and his eyes were bright with fear as he thrashed around in his bed. Unohana and Ichigo were trying to hold him down as he shrieked.

"No! She can't be gone, daddy, she can't be!"

Tears were in his little violet eyes, and they began to spill over as Ichigo climbed up onto the bed beside him and pulled the little boy into his arms. Michio broke down, his body going limp as he cried loudly for his sister who had given up her life for him. His screams had woke up Anyame, and she, too, began to cry.

Unohana smiled sadly and walked over to where Rukia was holding Anyame in her arms.

"How are you feeling, Rukia-san?" she asked, sitting down on the bed beside the younger woman as Ichigo calmly ran his fingers through Michio's hair. The little boy's eyes were still wide with grief as he clutched to Ichigo's shirt, tears soaking through the material.

"I... I thought that I had lost Raye before, but this time... this time... oh, God, she's really gone, isn't she?" Rukia asked, her fingers shaking as she rubbed Anyame's back. Unohana placed a hand on Rukia's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Rukia-san. I really am."

Rukia nodded, but her eyes soon turned back to Ichigo and Michio. Unohana left them silently.

They were a family who had lost someone they loved, and they needed time to release their feelings before they faced the world.

Rukia slowly stood up from the bed and walked over to the one where Ichigo was sitting with Michio. She climbed up beside them and leaned her head on Ichigo's shoulder as she began to cry once more.

"Ichigo, please, I can't bare to lose anyone else. Please, don't go after Aizen... he can never find Michio and Anyame again."

"I have to, Rukia, or else we'll never be safe. But I'll be back, I swear." He watched her as she slowly closed her eyes, and then said quietly, "I swear I'll come home."

_**August 2nd, 2009 - 3:45 PM**_

Kurosaki Rukia held Anyame in her arms, clutching the little girl tightly as the small, wooden casket was closed. Raye's tiny, pale face was cut off from her view, and it was all she could do not to scream at the man who had closed it. She wanted to see her baby girl one more time, just one more time...

Kurosaki Ichigo held tightly to his son's hand as he forced his feet to move forward after the priest had finished speaking. The casket was closed, and flowers were beginning to be placed on top of it. In his hand, he held a small bouquet of lilies and daisies, the kinds of flowers that Raye had liked most, only second to the beautiful, blue roses she worshiped above all flowers.

Kurosaki Michio stood beside Ichigo, holding his daddy's hand in his right one, and in his left hand, he clutched the blue roses that he had picked himself. Band-aids adorned seven of his ten fingers where he had cut himself taking them off of the vines, and as he slowly walked by the casket, he dropped them on top of it. His seven little blue roses were buried among the rest of the flowers, and when everyone else had placed theirs on top, he took his hand from Ichigo's and ran over, tears falling down his cheeks, to pull the blue roses from the bottom and place them on top again.

And Kurosaki Raye slept silently, never to be awoken again. But in her dreaming, she smiled as she watched her family.

She loved them all, and they all loved her.

* * *

Hours later, after everyone had gone, the small family stared at the gravestone that had been placed beside Kurosaki Masaki's. The little words danced across Ichigo's vision as he held Rukia close, his arm around her shoulder as she held Anyame in her arms. Michio was no longer holding his father's hand, however, and was instead sitting beside the gravestone, crying quietly as he held Cookies in his hands.

Ichigo's words soon pierced the silence, and Rukia listened while still staring ahead.

"Rukia, you're stronger than I could ever be. I could never do what you did. I could never most past the death of someone I loved so much."

"Michio and Anyame gave me strength, Ichigo. You had left behind two beautiful children for me to look at everyday and realize I wasn't alone. And we have four children here with us, even if Raye is only looking down upon us from above."

Ichigo's amber eyes widened at her words.

"Four?"

Rukia buried her head in his chest as she smiled sadly, her tears beginning to come again.

"Yes, Ichigo, four. Michio, Raye, Anyame, and the tiny baby we created two weeks ago when you came back to me."

"Four. Hear that, Raye?" Ichigo asked, his eyes looking toward the sky. "Someone else to love you, and someone you can love in return."

Ichigo touched his hand to Rukia's stomach, and he could swear that he felt a tiny hand come over his, and he swore that the shock that went through him was the one he felt every time his little girl clasped his hand in hers, or when she would give him a butterfly kiss at night.

Raye would be watching over the new baby, and wherever she was, she was smiling. She would be with daddy when he went after Aizen, and she would be with him when he came home.

He _would_ come home, and he knew it.

And as night began to fall, Ichigo led his family away from the gravestone. The words that had been so carefully carved could still be seen as the splashes of red and orange from the sunset set them aglow.

_Kurosaki Raye  
You will forever be our Little Angel._

_"Butterfly Kisses"_

_All the precious time,  
Like the wind, the years go by.  
Precious butterfly,  
Spread your wings and fly. _

_

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And **_Sorry_** I didn't write a whole huge thing on how Ichigo went after Aizen. I didn't want to, and that's the end of that. Flame away, if you wish. I _will_ ignore you, because I am the writer, and I have the last say in the things written.

**NOTE**: There **_WILL_** be a surprise epilogue chapter after this that will have someone important in it! _(Whispers: **RAYE!**)_. And please, stop using the review button to whine/flame/complain about Raye's death This story _will_ have a happy ending _and_ it will have Raye in the last chapter!

**_Please Review!_**


	19. A Moment In Time

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the characters. Thanks to **CrystalRaindrop007 **for beta'ing!

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_"I don't know. But she told me to trust her. And I came back to you all. Oh! Right, and she says she loves daddy and mommy, and all of you guys, too."_

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**Whispers In Your Heart — Epilogue**

**_Eighteen Months Later — February 12th - 2:51 PM_**

Rukia sighed in frustration as the tiny baby let his food dribble down his chin again. He laughed at his mommy and said food began to venture into the depths of his shirt. His tiny hands hit hard against his high chair, and the loud, happy screeching that followed brought little Anyame, her eyes wide and curious, into the kitchen.

"Momma, what's the beebee doin'?" she asked, walking closer to inspect her baby brother. The little boy, his orange hair messy and his bright, violet eyes shining happily, stared down at her, his fingers in his mouth as he widened his eyes even further.

His mouth widened in a grin around his fingers as he began to beat his spoon against the high chair again. Anyame dropped down on the floor and stared up at him until he decided that lunch looked prettier on his sister's head than in his bowl.

Rukia groaned deeply as Anyame fell to the floor, overcome by a fit of laughter.

Kurosaki Kaname had been born on April 29th weighing six pounds and two ounces, and was now a little over nine months old. He was walking, had spoken a few words, and was an absolute menace. When paired up with Anyame and Michio, he could get into a whole lot of trouble, and Ichigo was never any help; he just laughed along with the children.

"Mamamamama!" Kaname chirped happily, bouncing up and down on his diapered butt. Rukia lifted him from the chair and set him on the floor, where he immediately began to walk about. Anyame, who was now almost three, followed him into the living room.

"I'm home!"

Rukia felt a huge smile come over her face as she walked into the hall that led to the outside door of their small, cozy home. Her smile grew when she saw Kurosaki Ichigo, her husband, gently setting Michio down on the floor and beginning to take off his shoes and coat; Ichigo always picked Michio up from school on his way home from work.

"You have no idea how glad I am that you are here."

Ichigo smiled up at her.

"I bet I do."

Rukia laughed at him and took Michio's hand, leading him into the kitchen where she set out a sandwich for him; he was now five, and never ate lunch at school, as he hated the food there. As he began to happily eat the sandwich, Rukia sighed and leaned up against the wall, watching him.

"Did he say anything today?"

Ichigo shook his head sadly. "No, not yet."

She asked the same question every single day, and every single day, she was given the same answer; Michio hadn't spoken once since about two months after Raye had died. He'd been silent for over a year now.

"What did the specialist say?"

"She said that some kids never speak after going through a terrible incident. She suggested that we teach Michio sign language, and just keep encouraging him to speak. She's gonna keep working with him, though."

Rukia nodded and ventured into the living room where she saw both Anyame and Kaname playing silently on the carpet. She quietly tip-toed out and walked back into the kitchen. Ichigo had went into the bathroom to clean himself up, and Michio was now holding his juice glass with both hands as he watched Rukia begin dinner.

She caught his eye and smiled.

"Hey, little man. Did you have a good day at school?"

Michio nodded happily, and grinned as he went back to his sandwich. Rukia was about to ask another question when Ichigo ran into the kitchen and skidded to a half in front of her, his eyes wide as he held out the small box that was clasped in his hand. Rukia looked down at it and sighed again.

"I thought I threw that away... "

"Rukia... " He just stood and gaped at her. She shook her head, smiling.

"No, it's not positive, Ichigo. I was just worried, and I thought I'd check and make sure. If it was positive, I think I would have shot you."

Ichigo, past his shock, smirked.

"Oh, right. Like you had _nothing_ to do with-"

Rukia clamped a hand over his mouth and motioned toward Michio, who was looking at his mommy and daddy curiously. She said,

"Kaname was a blessing when he came along. I don't know if I could have made it through those long months after... after Raye passed away. But knowing that I still had you, Michio, Anyame and a new baby coming was what made me hold on. Every day I think about our baby girl, and I know that wherever she is, she's loved. I know that I will always love her, and though I don't think I can ever really let go of her, I know that Kaname helped me move on a lot. But if there was another baby coming along, little Ichi would be in trouble."

Ichigo glared at her, knowing that he couldn't defend his manhood with his little son in front of him, so he settled for dropping the pregnancy test into the trashcan beside the stove with a pout.

"Are you disappointed?" Rukia asked, dropping carrots into the pot on the stove. Ichigo sat down at the table smiled at Michio, who offered him a small part of his sandwich. He took it with a grin.

"I dunno. I mean, I won't deny the fact that three little monsters under one roof is frustrating sometimes, but one day, Anyame is gonna want a baby sister."

Rukia laughed.

"That's what Raye told me when she was about a year and a half old. She would smile at me with that toothy grin and ask for a baby sister for Christmas. But you were gone by that Christmas, and now..."

She trailed off and went back to stirring the soup.

Ichigo reached out and took her hand into his, smiling gently.

"Hey, it'll be all right. Besides, we can always-"

Rukia settled for hitting him over the head with her spoon in attempt to get him to shut up.

"Fine, fine, I get it."

"Mommmmmmy!"

Rukia stopped stirring the soup and walked into the living room where Anyame's questioning voice had come from. Ichigo followed her, bent on revenge.

"What is it, Anyame?" Rukia asked, leaning down beside her little girl. Anyame stuck out her bottom lip and jumped into Rukia's arms as she stared down at Kaname, who was holding something in his hand. Ichigo frowned as he pulled open Kaname's fingers. He raised an eyebrow and began laughing loudly.

"Now where did you get a _frog_ from?"

Rukia didn't find this funny, and sent Ichigo to go let the frog outside while she cleaned Kaname up. He could eat his sister's hair, and he could eat his toes, but there was no way he was going to get away with eating frog slime.

"There, all clean, Kaname. Don't do that again, you scared Anyame."

Kaname looked as though he could care less as he bounced on the counter top. His bottom was bare with the exception of a diaper, and the top part of his body was clothed in a long-sleeved red shirt. He stuck his tongue out as Rukia kissed him on the forehead before walking back into the living room, where she sat him on the floor beside Anyame, who looked over curiously to see if he was still holding the frog.

Rukia was about to walk back into the bathroom to put away the washrag she had used to clean Kaname when she heard something she was sure she wasn't going to hear for a long, long time.

Michio's tiny voice floated through the house as he called, "Mommy!"

She raced into the kitchen, a smile on her face as she came to a stop in the doorway. She felt her heart swell as she looked in on the scene. Her eyes were playing tricks on her again... they had to be... right?

There, in the middle of the kitchen, sat Raye. She was clothed in the most beautiful, white dress that Rukia had ever seen, and when her ice blue eyes moved toward her mother, Rukia felt tears spring to her eyes.

She walked on shaky feet toward the little girl, and sat down in front of Raye. Rukia's fingers reached out, gently touching the tiny face that she was sure she'd never see again.

"Are you real... are you really here?"

A smile bloomed on the face of Raye as she jumped into Rukia's arms. Rukia buried her face in Raye's hair, and when she finally looked up, she could see Ichigo standing in the doorway of the kitchen. His eyes were wide as he stared at Raye.

"Mommy?"

Rukia looked up to see Michio standing in front of them.

"Hey, baby. Come here."

He came happily and hugged his sister, too. Kaname ventured curiously into the kitchen and his eyes grew wide at seeing this stranger hugging _his_ mommy.

"Mommy, I came back," Raye said, grinning and reaching up to wipe the tears from Rukia's cheeks.

"But... how?"

Raye smiled as she looked over at Ichigo, who was now bending in front of her, too. Anyame was soon to follow, and Raye was the center of attention in the whole family. Kaname was especially curious to know who she was.

"Grandmommy helped me."

Ichigo's eyes grew wide as Raye continued to explain, as if what she was saying was completely normal.

"Yeah. She said she somehow reached out to me while I was dying. She was in Soul Society, did you know that, daddy? But anyway, she knew I was dying somehow, and before I died, she held me back from going into the living world again. She said that it was against the rules, but she didn't really care. And I told her everything. About me, Michio, Anyame... " Raye trailed off as she turned to Kaname. "Mommy, who's the baby?"

Rukia smiled. "This is your little brother, Kurosaki Kaname."

"Oooh. He's cute. Hi, hi!"

Kaname looked at her curiously, blinking his eyes a few times before sitting down in her lap. Raye continued her story.

"So Grandmommy and me lived together for a while, until she felt I was strong enough to come back. I was really sick before, because even though I had died and my soul was to be reborn perfectly healthy on Earth, Grandmommy kept me from going before I could be born there, so for a long time I was so sick I couldn't move."

As Rukia looked into the face of her oldest daughter, she could see that she had indeed been sick. Her face was pale, even more so than before, and her tiny body was very thin.

"But she told me I was strong enough, so she sent me back."

"How?" Michio asked, wide-eyed. His voice was quiet and low.

"I don't know. But she told me to trust her. And I came back to you all. Oh! Right, and she says she loves daddy and mommy, and all of you guys, too."

Michio beamed and Kaname bounced in his sister's lap. Anyame was staring at her sister with wide, unblinking eyes.

Ichigo reached out and touched the thin, pale face of his daughter, and, trying to contain tears, he reached out and took Raye into his arms.

As all of the other children and Rukia joined in the family hug, Ichigo smiled and finally let his tears of happiness fall.

"Thank you, mom," he said quietly, hoping that she would hear him.

And even though he couldn't hear his mom reply, he knew, in his heart, that she was whispering to him, and that she was looking down on them with a smile.

**THE END**

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_Yay!_ Yippe! I'm done! What do you guys think? Are you happy that Raye is back? Are you sad that she's back? Did you want her to stay dead? And sorry I couldn't go into more detail about how Raye got back, but this chapter was getting too long, so I took out some of the useless, boring material. Don't question me about it too much, because honestly, does it matter?

**NOTE: **Appearently, in this Epilogue, Ichigo has already fought Aizen and won, because I skipped so much time. Sorry, again, to those who wanted to see the fight. I'm better at writing emotion than fight scenes! And if you liked this story, hop on over to **Concrete Angel**!

**NOTE2: **The sequel to this story is **up**! It's called **Snapshots**, and it follows the insane Kurosaki family through their life. It's about family and love, and no, it's not going to be so darn angst filled. Find it in my profile!!

_**—P.S. If you liked this story, go vote for it in the poll on my profile page!—**_

_**Please Review! **( It'd take you about a minute to review and it took me three hours to write this! )_


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